12 Days of Nonna -A McRoll in the REAL World Collaboration -Sammy&Mari
by Mari217
Summary: Family Traditions Old & New - Chapter 1 of 12 - December 23rd The much anticipated trip to Nonna's for Christmas in New Jersey begins!
1. Family Traditions Old & New

_**Sammy's notes:**__ Well we've been planning this moment for a long time and it's finally here. Christmas at Nonna's! Mari and Ilna—you are both such a source of joy and positivity in my life that I am out of adjectives to describe just how amazing you both are. Smart, funny, insightful, supportive and so much more. Definitely the awesomest awesome that ever awesomed—and then some._

_Sandy—Every time I think we've been through it all something new happens. Thanks for being there and being equally willing to share the smiles and the tears._

_REAL Worlders—you guys are AMAZING! I hope you enjoy Christmas at Nonna's._

_**Mari's Notes:**__ This was a labor of love in so many ways. I love Sammy &amp; Ilna like family and am honored to call them my friends. Ilna, your hard work on this story was invaluable and our Skype sessions are such a source of fun and joy. You are such a good friend and are so often a source of light that you brighten my days with every email. You are a very special person, thank you for your friendship, and thank you for sharing your wonderful family with us._

_Sammy, one of the first things we said to each other when we decided to move forward with the undertaking of the REAL World was, "We can send them to Nonna's for Christmas!" Followed shortly by, "We can give them a dog!" Well, mission accomplished, Bravo Zulu! And it's only just begun. You are so much a part of my life that this year has simply flown by. It was last December when we first got in touch, and I feel as though we've been friends forever. You never fail to be a source of friendship, support and laughter. So, so much laughter. Thank you for that, always!_

_REAL McRollers, readers, guests, your support, kindness and love of the REAL world is a gift to all three of us every single day. Knowing you enjoy our work and love and respect Steve and Catherine as much as we do brings us such joy, so thank you! Happy Holidays to those who celebrate and Happy Healthy New Year to all! Xo Mari_

_And now, McRoll in the REAL World proudly presents …_

* * *

**The Twelve Days of Nonna Christmas  
Family Traditions Old &amp; New (Chapter 1)**

**Nonna's House**

**Tuesday December 23****rd  
****1:15 P.M.**

Considering the number of people filling every corner of Newark airport, passengers arriving, travelers departing and airport personnel trying their best to keep everything moving as smoothly as possible, Steve, Danny, Catherine and Grace managed to collect their luggage, secure a rental car and make it out of the airport and to Nonna's in near record time.

As the rental car pulled into the driveway Nonna was waiting at the front door wearing a huge smile. "Bambina," she said excitedly as she opened the storm door.

Grace jumped out of the car and bounded up the stairs to meet her great grandmother.

"Nonna," she squealed as she wrapped the older woman in a fierce hug. "We're here!"

"I see that," Nonna laughed joyfully. "And I'm so glad. I've been counting the days."

"Me too!" Grace replied.

Catherine grabbed her carry on and Grace's and headed for the house while Steve and Danny retrieved the rest of the luggage from the trunk.

"There's my gorgeous girl," Nonna said as Catherine reached the door and was immediately enveloped in a hug. "You must be exhausted after such a long flight."

"Thanks again for inviting us," Catherine said as she gratefully accepted the hug. "We definitely didn't sleep much on the plane. We were all too excited about the trip."

"And I am excited to have you," Nonna said sincerely as Catherine stepped into the foyer and dropped the carry-ons.

"And there are my handsome boys," Nonna threw her arms open as Steve and Danny entered the house with the luggage. "Put those suitcases down and give me a hug."

Both men did as they were told with huge smiles.

"I wasn't sure whether you'd be more tired or hungry when you arrived," Nonna fussed as she closed the front door and turned to the weary travelers. "So I made a little food but it can all wait and be warmed up later if you'd like to take a quick nap first."

"But we just got here," Grace said with a slight whine.

"I know, Angel." Nonna ran her hand affectionately over Grace's hair. "But I also know that you, my little one, don't sleep on planes. So between the all night flight and the time change I want to make sure we get this vacation off on the right foot. So maybe … just for Nonna … you can grab a short nap?"

"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea," Danny yawned. "I think I could use one myself."

"It's settled then. Everyone is in the same room they were in last time," Nonna smiled. "Take your things, freshen up, take a quick nap and I'll finish up getting some food together. I'll meet you in the kitchen when you wake up."

/

**3:45 P.M.**

After sleeping for about two hours Steve and Catherine got up feeling fully refreshed and joined Nonna in the kitchen where she was laying out what she called 'a little food' but was actually enough to feed the neighborhood. Danny joined them soon after and they dug into the spread Nonna had prepared. There were hearty chunks of provolone and Romano cheese, mozzarella balls, several kinds of olives and assorted freshly baked bread served alongside Pancetta and prosciutto cold cuts, roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts. Thirty minutes later Grace entered the kitchen and announced she was rested and ready to go.

They ate their fill, with Nonna encouraging them to eat just a little more, and then Steve and Danny cleaned up the dishes and discussed the best place to acquire one last gift Steve wanted to buy while Nonna, Catherine and Grace stepped into the living room to finalize their plans for the evening.

As Steve put the last of the dishes away Danny read a text with a frown, "So, according to my brother-in-law, the Army/Navy Store in Belleville is out of business," he told Steve while Grace and Catherine headed upstairs to change for baking with Nonna. "That means our best shot is Kaufman's in the city. Biggest store around." He looked at his best friend sincerely. "We had an ten hour flight today, Steve. You guys got her other gifts, probably too many if I know the two of you, and I know my sister left a coat here that'll fit Grace …"

"No." Steve stopped his partner with a headshake and a look of determination Danny was well acquainted with. "I'm getting Gracie a Navy pea coat. Give me the address for Kaufman's, I'll go now."

Danny smiled at the man who he'd once busted for not having a 'way with kids'. Steve was the best uncle Grace could ever hope for. "Okay, okay, grab your stuff. I'll drive."

"Danny, I can …"

"You can let me drive you in. It's across from Port Authority, where I picked you and Catherine up last summer. I'll drop you off and look for a lot." Steve followed Danny to the closet in the front hall where Danny began pulling out their winter gear.

"But you should stay and visit with Nonna," Steve glanced up as Nonna approached.

"Where are my boys off to?"

"I want to get another gift for Gracie, I was just telling Danny he should stay and visit …" Steve explained.

"And I was telling Steve it's in the city," Danny countered, "so it's faster if I drive him in. There may be no parking this close to Christmas and even if I badge 'em there may literally be nowhere to leave the car."

Nonna smiled at her 'boys'. "So adorable, you two are. Steven, Daniel's right. We have plenty of time to visit when you get back. I'll be baking with Catherine and the bambina, anyway."

As if her words summoned them, Catherine and Grace came down the stairs. "Where ya goin'?" Catherine saw Steve and Danny donning gloves and scarves.

"We need to make a quick run. Grace, help Nonna get ready to bake in the kitchen, okay?" Danny kissed his daughter.

"Okay. I was just telling Auntie Cath how we cool the knot cookies out on the back porch …" Grace kissed her dad and turned to kiss Steve. "See you later!"

She literally bounced off towards the kitchen.

Catherine waited until Grace was out of sight before she whispered, "Operation Pea Coat?"

Both men nodded and Catherine turned to Nonna, "Grace really liked the Navy issue pea coats she saw in a picture of me and Steve from our Academy days."

"And I want her to have one," Steve confirmed.

"And it has to be _regulation_ Navy because he's a crazy person." Danny added with a smile.

"Ah. Then go." Nonna grinned. "We'll be ready for dinner when you get back." She motioned to each man in turn to bend so she could give them a kiss.

"Dinner?" Steve asked with a smile. "What was that we just ate?"

"That was just a little something to hold you over," Nonna patted his cheek. "After your flight. We'll eat a proper dinner later after you get back. With cookies for dessert."

"If there's any left ..." Catherine teased.

"You save me some cookies, Rollins!" Steve pointed at his grinning girlfriend.

"We'll see …" she winked at Nonna. Steve bent to kiss her goodbye and she smiled into the quick peck.

Steve said, "Love you. We won't be too long."

Nonna's delighted gasp was lost in Catherine's "Love you. Don't be gone past the cookies cooling or I can't guarantee saving you any …"

Nonna exchanged a look of pure delight with her grandson and Danny grinned at her as he followed Steve outside.

Catherine closed the door against the cold and was locking it when she turned to see Nonna's beaming smile and knowing look. "Nonna?"

"That's _wonderful_."

"The pea coat idea? That was all Steve's; Grace said she wished it was cold enough for a coat like that because she'd love one and …"

"No, Bella …" Nonna shook her head and motioned at Catherine and then out through the window at Steve, who was gesturing in the driveway while Danny was adamantly pointing to the passenger side of the rental car.

"Oh!" Catherine broke into a smile of her own as she realized what Nonna was reacting to. Her eyes lit. "Yeah."

"You stayed here for _days_ and I was in Hawaii, and while _anyone_ could see how much in love you two are, _that_ …" Nonna pointed at her, "was the very first time I've heard it said out loud. Sooo?"

"I …. Steve just …" Catherine shrugged with a delighted look on her face. "He just … _said_ it." While Catherine was always beautiful, the light in her eyes at the recollection made her more so. "We were training Cammie on the beach and he just said, 'Cath? I love you.' Just like that." She still felt almost giddy at the memory.

Nonna clapped with glee. "And?"

"And I told him I knew. I'd _always_ known." She looked in Nonna's eyes. "We've never been the types for flowery words, but that doesn't mean I didn't know," she explained. "But when I said I loved him, that I always have, Steve actually looked … relieved … and so happy. As happy as I've ever seen him." Her eyes sparkled. "Then five or six times that night, he'd just look up from whatever he was doing and say, 'I love you, Catherine,' like once the dam burst he kinda liked saying it."

Nonna clapped with unbridled joy. "Aha! And it's just that simple, Bella. How very much like Steven. Like you both. Just … no false, put-on airs, just love." She reached up to place a hand on Catherine's cheek. "I knew it. From the minute I saw you, I knew it. I would have, even if Daniel hadn't told me from the start. But hearing you two just now," Nonna took Catherine's hand in both of hers. "Makes the start of the holidays even more perfect."

Seeing Nonna's genuine joy for her and Steve, Catherine wrapped her in a hug. "Thanks for that … just thank you."

"I love you both, Sweetheart, and I want you to be happy. I know you and Steven are happy so I'm happy, too."

Just then, Grace's voice called out, "Nonna? Auntie Cath? I have all the ingredients lined up in order and I got the cookie sheets out, but I can't lift the Kitchen Aid."

Both women laughed.

"Coming, mio bambina!" "We'll be right there; don't try to lift it, I'll get it." They answered in unison as Nonna wrapped an arm around Catherine's waist and they walked into the kitchen.

/

**West 42****nd**** Street, NY, NY**

Danny grinned as he pulled the car into a spot a block from where he'd let Steve out. He'd finally convinced his grumbling partner he should drive because if he couldn't get a parking spot he'd just circle until Steve called him, but he'd actually found one fairly quickly.

He hit speed dial for Steve.

"On my way in. Remember _do_ _not_ tell anyone in that store you're a Navy SEAL. We wanna get back to Nonna's before New Year's Eve."

"Yeah, okay, Danny. I'm in the back of the store." Steve ended the call as a salesperson move toward him.

When Danny entered and strode past the array of customers in varying degrees of military garb, he spotted a grinning Steve McGarrett holding up a black wool coat.

"Danny!" Steve hoisted the garment up a few inches as his best friend got closer. "Will this fit Gracie?"

Danny took the coat and held it out. "It's a little big, which is perfect. She can use it for a year or more if it's got growing room. And she'll pile sweaters under it. She's going to London with Rachel for five days in February and they have a trip to Michigan coming up to see Rachel's' college roommate who moved to the States. She needs a warm coat for both trips."

A bearded man headed right for them until he was distracted by a young man asking about gas masks and Sarin gas. Danny nodded. "Lenny's been here since I was in high school. Really nice guy but a little … interesting. Tends to go on."

"And you'd know nothing about going on …" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Bite me, Steven. I meant if you ask him about an Army item you're getting a dissertation."

"I repeat …" Steve started as the man approached.

"So? What do you think?" Lenny regarded Danny and Steve.

"Where'd you get a coat this small?" Danny asked.

"It was cut down from a regulation coat for an Admiral's kid. When he grew out of it, it ended up passed down and eventually here. It's in great shape. You won't find another one that size for your kid. Usually goes for a hundred and thirty, you can have it for a hundred."

"Steve …" Danny started, and before his partner could suggest it was too expensive a gift, Steve said, "I'll take it."

"_Steve_ …" He repeated.

"_Danny_ …"

Danny opened his mouth about to protest, but he when saw the look of joy finding that coat for his daughter put on his best friend's face, he closed it without speaking. He knew how happy Grace's emulating Steve and Catherine made them. He shrugged, "Thank you, she'll love it."

"Great! I was gonna just buy the smallest one I could find and we'd cut it down to fit her, but this one will fit as is." Steve happily tucked the coat under his arm as they followed Lenny to the front of the crowded**,** very merchandise-heavy store. He'd had every intention of sitting up that night and altering the coat, now he wouldn't have to.

As they got to the counter, Lenny bagged the coat while saying, "One Regulation Naval Issue US Navy Wool Pea Coat. Need anything else? We specialize in new and used military surplus uniforms, equipment and insignia from the United States Armed Forces and foreign countries." He eyed Steve's jacket approvingly. "SEAL synthetic cold-weather gear. Where'd you buy that?"

"I didn't buy …"

Danny cleared his throat as Steve counted out a hundred dollars and handed it over.

"Thought you were Navy. Another fifteen percent off the jacket if you've got your I.D." Lenny said.

Steve flipped open his wallet.

"Commander?" Lenny grinned. "SEALs, right?"

Danny groaned as Steve nodded.

"I knew it; I can always spot the real deal." He offered his hand. "Thanks for your service."

"Thank you." Steve acknowledged.

"You know, we get lots of regulars, if you want to open an account …"

"Ah, thanks, but we're just visiting …"

Two teenage boys came up beside Steve. "Dude! You're a _SEAL_? Like for real?"

"I'm in the reserves now."

"Holy crap! I never met a real SEAL, do you know the guys who got Bin Laden?"

Steve looked immediately uncomfortable. "I was in the reserves by the time …"

Danny smiled at the kids. "I'm sorry, guys, but we're due back in Jersey for a family thing …"

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Have a good Christmas." "Yeah, Happy New Year." The boys said as Steve and Danny reciprocated.

Lenny grinned. "We're on the web, Commander. Check us out." He handed Steve a receipt. "And I hope your niece likes the coat."

* * *

**Forty five minutes later  
****Nonna's Kitchen**

"They have to be completely cool before we ice them, or the icing will run," Nonna explained as she took tray after tray of knot cookies from the porch table and handed them, assembly line style, to Catherine and Grace. "Putting them on the back porch does the trick. When you make them at home, just leave them to cool in the fridge. Of course you probably won't be making ten batches!" She laughed.

Once all three ladies were seated around the kitchen table, Nonna said, "Ready?" She smiled at Grace's enthusiastic nod and held out a tablespoon for Catherine. "Stir the icing and spoon it on. Use a lot, don't be stingy," she chuckled. "Before they dry, we add the nonpareils. That's your job, Grace. Then we'll switch …"

About four batches and 140 cookies in, Grace opened yet another bottle of nonpareils and when she went to tip it over the cookies, the top popped off.

"Oh! Oh no!" She made a grab for the flying colored balls of sugar and starch that scattered around the kitchen. Her hands flew to her face. "I'm sorry, Nonna, I …"

She stopped when Nonna and Catherine burst out laughing. "I'll get the paper towels, and …" Grace started to say, "clean them up," but the sight of her great grandmother and aunt laughing until tears rolled down their cheeks threw her into a fit of giggles.

"What's so funn …" Danny and Steve came in from their trip to the Army/Navy store and took in the sight. Danny smiled at his daughter's face. She was glowing with happiness, laughing with Catherine and his beloved grandmother. "Wow …" He indicated the tiny candied balls crunching beneath his feet.

"Little equipment malfunction?" Steve's grin when he looked at his three favorite women was nothing short of teasing.

"Little bit." Catherine laughed. "Stop walking on them!" She pointed to the floor. "You're in time to help clean them up."

"Just let me …" Steve indicated the large bag in his arms.

"Here, I'll take that upstairs; you'll track nonpareils all over Nonna's rugs." Catherine wiped her tears of laughter with a sleeve and relieved Steve of the bag. "Mission a success, Commander?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely, Lieutenant." Steve's smile was glowing as he removed his coat and grabbed a roll of paper towels, tore off a handful, and tossed the rest to Danny.

"Bravo, Zulu." Catherine's smile matched Steve's. "I'll be back in a minute; Grace, show Uncle Steve how to ice the next batch."

/

**8:00 p.m.**

The baking was cleaned up, a quick dinner of spaghetti and meatballs had been eaten, and the family was sitting contentedly in the living room. Steve and Catherine shared the love seat and Grace was sprawled on the sofa next to Danny, when Nonna leaned to the side of her recliner to pick up a gift bag with a smile.

"Catherine, come here, darling." Nonna held out a small package. "A little early gift."

"For _me_?" Catherine glanced at Steve and moved to take the package.

"For you. Open it, Sweetheart," Nonna indicated and Catherine kneeled next to her chair.

The others watched as Catherine unwrapped and held up a Wire-O bound, laminated book. "Nonna, what …?" The cover had an imprint of New Jersey and photos of various Italian dishes. The title, which made Catherine's eyes widen, read, _Twelve Days of Cooking with Nonna_.

"Where did …?"

"I had it made, with my niece Kimberly's help, of course. She helped me get it all together and have it bound. I wanted to give you some more of my best recipes to make in that brand new kitchen."

"You _made_ this … for … for _me_?" Catherine's hand flew to her mouth. She was tearing up. "Oh, Nonna, thank you." She turned to Steve "It's …" she took in a deep, shaky breath "Nonna's recipes."

"That's wonderful." His smile reflected how thrilled he was at Catherine's delight. He moved to her side to slide an arm around her and kissed her temple. "And Nonna, I thought you didn't share ..."

"She doesn't," Danny grinned, glancing between his grandmother and friend. "You rate, Hon. Rachel couldn't get as much as a meatball recipe even after we were married for a couple of years." Danny chuckled.

"Rachel didn't like to cook, Daniel. Catherine should have these." Nonna turned to Catherine, smiling broadly. "Because you did such a perfect job with my eggplant parm _and _you cook with love." She placed a gentle hand on Catherine's arm. "Just a couple of things, okay?"

Catherine regarded Nonna. "_Anything_."

"I'd like for you and Steven to try them first, which I know you'll do. And these recipes stay _in_ our family, until one day you decide, _carefully_, to whom you pass them on."

Catherine kneeled up to wrap Nonna in a hug. "I _promise_. Whatever you say. This means _so_ much to me, Nonna." She stood when Nonna let her go after returning the heart-felt hug. "Thank you, again. Oh! Wait till I tell Grandma Ang!"

Nonna beamed at Catherine's excitement. "Well, then call her! Go. Tell her your 'New Jersey Nonna' said 'hello.'"

"I can do better than that!" Catherine said excitedly. "I'll get her on Skype. You two can meet!" She was out of the room and taking the stairs to the guest room in a flash.

"I think she may be a _little_ excited." Steve's smile was beaming. "Seriously, Nonna, thank you," he said sincerely, bending to catch her in a hug. "You know how she adores you; I don't think I can even express in words what you gifting her with those recipes means."

Nonna hugged her adopted grandson tightly, and looked up into hazel eyes that were literally sparkling with happiness at Catherine's joy. "You're family, nipote, but that's not the only reason. Catherine deserves them _because_ she's so happy to have them. Happy to share my food with your family back home. Some of those recipes have been in the family for five, six generations. She'll do them justice."

"I have no doubt she will." Steve nodded. "You know, when you gave her the eggplant recipe and she decided to make it for your visit?" Steve's voice took on a conspiratorial tone.

Nonna nodded. "It was perfect."

"She practiced for a whole day." Nonna's smile was so much like his partner's Steve couldn't help glancing between her and Danny.

"She's adorable, and do you see what I mean? She respects the food, the meaning behind it. But a whole day, Steven?" Nonna thought he was exaggerating.

"It's true. We ate eggplant parm every couple of days for two weeks."

Nonna laughed. "Oh, you poor boy, you must be sick of it!"

"Never!" Steve said honestly, holding a hand to his heart. "We've both eaten _a_ _lot_ of mess hall food and MREs. Any recipe of yours is like gold … what do you call it, Danny? Food of the Gods?"

Danny agreed. "He's right, Nonna. I've seen this animal eat some scary sh … stuff over the years. And Catherine is a great cook." He shook his head. "Lucky again."

Catherine re-entered the living room, tablet in hand, inquiring, "About what?" She looked at Steve with a head tilt.

He moved to wrap an arm around her. "You. Your cooking more specifically."

She looked at him quizzically. "Thank you. What were you telling Nonna about my eggplant parm?"

He smirked. "That it was so good I didn't mind eating it again." He kissed her cheek. "And again ..." His smile was contagious. "… and _again_." He laughed at the look Nonna gave him.

"Stop teasing my bella ragazza, Steven, or you may be eating those MREs again."

A few minutes later, as Catherine dialed into Skype on her tablet, she explained, "My parents and Gram are in Chicago for Christmas. Everyone is at my Uncle Greg's this year or they'd have arranged to visit while we were here."

The sound of the call connecting made her grin widen as she saw her beloved grandmother appear on the screen.

"Catherine! Hello, darling. Your parents are out with Uncle Greg and Aunt Jean."

"That's fine, Gram," she said excitedly, "I'll call Mom and Dad tomorrow, but I'm calling now because I _have_ to tell you what Nonna just gave me…"

After Catherine gushed over the recipe book and everyone greeted Grandma Ang, Catherine moved to Nonna's side and announced, "Nonna, meet Grandma Ang!"

As she passed her tablet to Nonna, she heard her grandmother's voice say, "It's so nice to meet you, even on Skype. Our Catherine talks so highly of you, I've been looking forward to it! It's Mrs. Longo, right? Catherine only ever refers to you as Nonna."

"Lovely to meet you. And you call me Nonna, too, okay? Is it Angela? That's my granddaughter's name."

"It's actually Angeline, but no one calls me that." Grandma Ang said with a laugh. "Ang is who I am."

"Well okay then, Ang it is. I can't tell you how excited Catherine is that we're talking. Her beautiful face is all lit up." Nonna winked at Catherine's blush. "She just adores you, as I'm sure you well know. And you did a great job teaching this one to cook. She's very good. Catherine's told me about some of your traditions and how much fun everyone had at Thanksgiving this year."

"We had a wonderful time. Your grandson Danny is a delight, and that Grace, what a special girl," Ang said sincerely.

Danny beamed at the mention of Grace and mouthed, _'I'm a delight,'_ at Steve who rolled his eyes at his partner as Grace laughed at her Uncle's reaction.

"You must be so proud of them," Grandma Ang continued.

"I am. Daniel's a good boy and he's doing such a wonderful job with Grace. I'm very glad they're settled in their house. That he has family he can count on in Catherine and Steven and the members of their team. She's a treasure, your granddaughter." Nonna patted Catherine's cheek.

Grandma Ang said with pride, "We're all very proud of her, you know. She's always been such a sweet girl and _so_ kind, even as a toddler."

"Brilliant, too, and she's just _wonderful_ with …" Nonna looked pointedly at Steve and smiled "… my bambina, Grace." She stood and started for the kitchen, tablet in-hand.

Danny snickered. "Oh my God, Babe, you're gonna be the topic of THAT little conversation in ... 3 … 2 ... 1 …"

Steve looked a little stricken and Danny snorted in triumph when they heard, "Oh yes, he's right here. Such a good boy, and _so_ handsome ...

* * *

**Later that evening  
**

Grace was on the sofa, leaning against Danny and starting to doze. In spite of the time difference, she was sleepy. "Hey, Monkey, what say you get ready for bed? You don't want to be tired when Grandma and Grandpa get here tomorrow. And if you're going to midnight mass with Nonna, it's gonna be a long day."

Grace stretched. "'kay."

"Go on, I'll be up to say goodnight," Danny said.

Grace hugged everyone, and finally went to Nonna's chair. "Good night, Nonna, love you." She wrapped her great grandmother in a hug and held on for a few moments.

"Sleep well, bambina." Nonna kissed her cheek. "I love you."

Catherine stood. "I'll walk up with you, Grace. You wanted to pick out sweaters for tomorrow, right?"

Grace nodded happily and Catherine turned to Danny. "'Night, Danny." She leaned down to hug Nonna. "Love you, Nonna, thank you so much for having us." She stood and said, "See you upstairs," to Steve, who nodded.

"I love you, Bella, and I'm so happy you're here. I'll just visit with the boys for a little while and then I'm going to sleep, myself." She winked and nodded toward Steve. "I won't keep him from you for long."

Catherine smiled and followed Grace upstairs.

* * *

**Guest Room  
****30 minutes later**

When Steve entered the room, Catherine was sitting on the bed leafing through the recipe book. She was so intent, she barely looked up at his greeting.

He was about to tease her, to say, "You're not going to go downstairs and cook something now are you?" but when she glanced up, her full eyes and soft expression made the comment die on his lips. Of course Steve knew she was very touched by the book, but she was close to tears.

"Catherine?" He immediately joined her, kissing her temple and sliding an arm around her.

She leaned into Steve, brown eyes glistening as she said, "Nonna made _notes_ on almost every page."

He followed her eyes to the book and immediately realized why Catherine was so emotional. The pages contained personal notes explaining why Nonna thought Catherine, Steve and even their family back home would enjoy each particular dish.

"And look at the dedication." Catherine took a shaky breath, "She wrote a _dedication_ for me, Steve."

She was sitting cross legged on top of the covers, and she snuggled even closer to Steve.

Flipping to the beginning of the book, she began to read out loud, while Steve ran a gentle hand over the knee that was pressing against his hip.

"'_My dearest Catherine,'" _she read softly,_ "'As soon as I saw what a perfect job you did with my eggplant parm recipe during my visit to your home, I came up with this idea. You cook with such love, bella regazza, that you make Nonna proud. You and Steven are our family, Daniel's, Grace's and mine. Family should have good food that can be shared over laughter and love with each other and friends._

_I love you, bella, and my nipote, Steven, so very much. I wish you many happy years and many happy meals throughout your lives. And very special people to share them with._

_Love always, Nonna'"_

Catherine's breath caught and when she looked at Steve, there were tears on her cheeks. He took the book and began to read some of the notes aloud.

"Look at this, Cath, she wants us to have Danny and Gracie over for this one," he grinned. "Spaghetti Carbonara." He read Nonna's note, "_'The boys all love this one! Daniel and his father used to ask for it all the time. Grace, mio bambina, loves it too. Maybe you could make it and invite them over so Daniel gets a day off from cooking?'_ Grace will love that; she can help you with it."

Catherine nodded, unable to speak just yet, and when Steve read the note for Broccoli Rabe she chuckled through her tears. "She knows you."

That note said, '_Rabes are an acquired taste but I was happy to see Steven will eat just about anything with gusto, the dear boy! You two can make these and put them on sandwiches if you want to bring lunch to Head Quarters.' _

The one for Lentils made Steve grin._ "_She remembered about the perps_," he said. "'More good protein! You and Steven need lots of protein, darling, with all the hard work you do catching those perps! (See, I remembered my new word, ha ha). I don't think you eat often enough some days when you're busy being heroes_.'"

When he read the one for the Knot cookies, Steve's hazel eyes darkened with emotion at the last line. _"'These are my sister Teresa's specialty! I'm so happy to make them with you and Grace this Christmas, Bella. These are one of Daniel's favorites. I made these for the party when Grace was Baptized. Catherine, darling, maybe you could make them for her High School Graduation?'"_

Catherine intertwined their fingers. "She … knows we'll be there. When Grace graduates."

Steve smiled and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Of course we will. We're family; no one knows that better than Nonna." Steve's eyes lit, "except for Gracie."

END CHAPTER 1

Join us tomorrow for Chapter 2!

_**You can win your own copy of Catherine's gift from Nonna!**_

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	2. Twas the Night Before Christmas

_See notes in Chapter 1_

'**Twas the Night Before Christmas (2/12)**

**Nonna's House  
****December 24****th  
****7:30 P.M.**

Nonna's house was filled with the sounds of laughter and celebration as family gathered for their traditional Christmas Eve dessert and gift exchange. Every seat in the living room was filled as well the dining room chairs that had been relocated to the living room to provide extra sitting space and the card table chairs that had been retrieved from the basement.

Nonna sat in her recliner, in the center of the action, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

In addition to Steve, Catherine, Danny and Grace there was Danny's sister Angela, her husband Sal and their daughter Francesca, Danny's other sister Theresa and her son Eric, Danny's parents Eddie and Clara as well as assorted cousins who stopped in sometimes just for a few minutes to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and snag some of Nonna's famous knot cookies.

As was her habit, Nonna's self-described "light dessert" was actually a spread of cookies, cakes and holiday breads that covered the entire dining room table and spilled over to the coffee table in the living room.

"This is for Danny from Sal and me," Angela said as she launched a gift wrapped in snowman wrapping paper towards her brother.

Danny was unprepared for the toss and the thankfully soft gift bounced off the side of his head.

"Living in all that sunshine is making you soft," Angela teased as Danny leaned down and picked up the gift. "I can't wait to get you in a snowball fight."

Grace looked at Steve with a sly smile. She spent part of their time sitting next to each other on the flight to New Jersey reiterating the things she taught him during their snowball throwing lesson on the beach. She felt confident Uncle Steve was ready for battle.

"I'm not getting soft," Danny grumbled. "You're just being sneaky as usual. You know it's the only way you can beat me."

"That's big talk from a man who's been on the losing side of every snowball fight in the last four years," Angela said as she high fived her husband Sal.

"Celebrate now, Angela," Danny warned. "Your time is coming."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see," Angela grinned affectionately at her brother.

Danny opened the gift to reveal a New York Jets throw blanket. "Thanks guys," he smiled sincerely.

"No problem. As bad as the Jets are this year I got it really cheap," Angela teased.

Danny rolled his eyes. "They're rebuilding."

"You keep telling yourself that," Angela laughed.

"I haven't noticed your Giants looking much better," Danny pointed out.

"We have twice as many wins as the Jets," Angela said triumphantly.

"Yeah well the Jets have three wins so that isn't saying much," Danny smirked.

Steve and Catherine sat on the loveseat, smiling broadly, watching the large, boisterous family exchange gifts and barbs in equal number. Neither had ever experienced anything quite like the Williams' family Christmas.

Once all of the family gifts were exchanged, Angela dragged Theresa into the kitchen to make final arrangements for a surprise gift for Sal that Theresa was helping coordinate while Sal challenged Francesca and Eric to an Angry Birds tournament.

Nonna turned her attention to her visitors from Hawaii. "I know all this family is a lot to deal with," she said to Steve and Catherine with a laugh.

"Not at all," Catherine grinned. "It's every bit as amazing as I knew it would be."

"Definitely," Steve agreed. "Plus I'm learning a lot from Angela. Catherine's dad gave Danny lots of ammunition to use against me over Thanksgiving but I think Angela can help me even the score." He winked at Nonna.

The front doorbell rang and Nonna started to get up from her chair.

"Stay put, Ma," Clara said as she stood. "That's Carmine and the kids. They said they were gonna stop over after practice." Clara turned to Steve and Catherine. "My cousin's kids have the lead in the church pageant this year and they had a last minute rehearsal," she laughed. "I'm gonna fix them some plates of leftovers from dinner."

"I'll help," Eddie said as he rose as well.

"Thanks," Nonna said and squeezed her daughter's hand as she walked past the recliner.

"Grace can you please grab the red present with the gold bow and give it to Steven and Catherine," Nonna asked, "and the green present with the silver bow goes to your father."

Grace jumped up to retrieve the presents as requested. After she had delivered them to their recipients Nonna smiled. "The tall one in the gold paper with the three bows is yours."

"Thanks!" Grace's eyes lit up as she retrieved the present.

Catherine jumped up excitedly from the loveseat and went to the tree and grabbed a box she and Steve placed there soon after they arrived and unpacked. The wrapping paper featured festive Santas on surfboards wearing sunglasses which made Nonna laugh as soon as she saw it.

She crossed to the recliner and handed the present to Nonna. "This is from Steve and me. We really hope you like it."

"I'm sure I'll love it," Nonna said as she squeezed Catherine's hand.

Catherine returned to the love seat and Steve put Nonna's gift on his lap as they began to unwrap it together. Before they could get the paper off they heard Grace squeal. "Oh, Nonna! I love it! It's perfect. It's just like yours."

They turned to see Grace standing beside a jewelry armoire very similar in style to the one in Nonna's bedroom. It had five drawers, two swing out doors and a large mirror that could be folded up on top.

"You're growing up, mia bambina," Nonna said with a smile. "And when a girl gets to a certain age she needs a nice place to keep her jewelry."

"Thank you," Grace said as she sailed across the room and into Nonna's arms. "I love it." Suddenly a look of concern crossed her face. "Will we be able to get it on the plane?"

"I've already arranged to have it shipped to Hawaii," Nonna said. "Your Uncle Sal is going to take it to work with him on Friday and mail it from there. It'll be waiting for you at home when you get back."

"Thank you, Nonna. You're the best." Grace gave her great grandmother another hug then went back to her gift to carefully inspect every drawer and compartment.

"You're next, Daniel," Nonna said with a smile.

Danny unwrapped the box in his lap and lifted the lid. He inhaled sharply and his eyes became teary.

"Nonna," he said in a voice barely above a whisper as he looked at a sturdy oak shadow box filled with army medals, work commendations, and other remembrances of his beloved grandfather. "It's so … are you sure …?"

"I'm positive," Nonna smiled definitively. "Your grandfather would be so proud of you, Daniel. He'd want you to have those things to remember him by. They've been in my room for many years and I've enjoyed looking at them but it's time for me to pass them on to you now."

"Thank you," Danny said around the lump in his throat. "I'll treasure them always."

"I know you will," Nonna smiled. "And I'll get to see them all again the next time I come to Hawaii."

"Absolutely," Danny nodded.

"Why don't you open one now, Nonna," Catherine suggested.

"Alright," Nonna said as she fingered the package in her lap. "But you certainly didn't have to get me anything."

"We wanted to," Steve and Catherine said in unison.

Nonna opened the package to reveal a beautiful handmade photo album with a mosaic made from seashells on the cover. "Oh my, this is stunning," she said as she ran her hands over the shells. "Absolutely exquisite."

"It was made by a woman we met a few months ago at the dog park. She collects the shells herself and creates these beautiful albums," Catherine said almost shyly. "We know how much you love photo albums and we thought maybe this one would remind you of Hawaii."

"It absolutely will," Nonna said as she beamed at Steve and Catherine. "I'll think of the two of you every time I look at it."

"We put in the first picture for you," Steve grinned.

Nonna opened the front flap to see a picture of the entire gang, including the Rollins', taken at the barbecue over Thanksgiving. They were all gathered on the beach, smiling brightly, while Grace knelt in the middle of the frame holding a sign that said '_Wish You Were Here, Nonna'_.

"Perfect," Nonna said as she laughed heartily. "Absolutely perfect. I love this so much." She pulled a Kleenex from her sleeve and dabbed her eyes. 'Now your turn," she indicated the gift in Steve's lap.

Catherine smiled as the two of them made quick work of removing the rest of the paper. Catherine opened the flaps of the box and lifted out the contents. "Oh, Nonna, it's an authentic gravy pot. Just like the one you use."

Nonna smiled. "It is. And you'll see I tucked a few things inside for you."

Steve lifted out a pair of matching red, white and green striped aprons that read _His_ and _Hers_ on the front.

"Some of the best times my husband and I ever spent together were in the kitchen. The heart of the home. Creating things with love," Nonna smiled softly. "I wanted you to have some things for your beautiful new kitchen that the two of you created with love."

"Is this … " Catherine's voice caught as she lifted out a well-worn rolling pin.

"Yes, angel, that's the same rolling pin you used the first time you were here. The first time I saw how much you love to cook."

"But I can't take your rolling pin," Catherine insisted.

"I'm an old Italian woman," Nonna winked at her. "I have lots of rolling pins."

Steve dropped his arm around Catherine and placed a kiss on her temple.

"I also put a good bottle of wine and all the ingredients for a nice dinner in there," Nonna smiled knowingly.

"Thank you so much," Catherine said as she ran her fingers reverently over the rolling pin.

"Open mine next," Grace said, caught up in the excitement of the gift exchange. She went to the tree, gathered up all her packages and distributed them.

"You open one of yours from me, Monkey," Danny said. "We're going to save some for tomorrow but grab the one in the blue paper off your pile and open it tonight."

"Okay," Grace said animatedly as she grabbed the package and returned to her seat. "Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine go first this time."

"Okay," Steve said. He looked at Cath and she indicated he should go first. He tore open the larger of the two boxes Grace handed him and froze. Catherine took note of his reaction and looked in the box. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"What is it," Danny asked, his voice slightly concerned. "She ordered it herself and wrapped it without letting me see it. She didn't want to take a chance I'd spoil her surprise."

Steve lifted the camo t-shirt out of the box and turned it so the others could read the words emblazoned across the front. '_This is What the World's Best Uncle Looks Like'_.

"Do you like it," Grace asked nervously.

"I absolutely love it, Grace. Really. It's … perfect." Steve said, then cleared his throat.

"Good. The other one is from Joan and me both. Mary said it would be okay if I gave it to you now." Grace was positively bouncing with excitement.

Steve opened the smaller package to find a coffee mug with a picture of Grace and Joan taken over Thanksgiving and the words '_We Love Our Uncle'_.

"Come here," Steve said as he opened his arms and Grace bounced across the room and threw herself into them for a hug. "These gifts are perfect. I'll treasure them forever."

"Good," Grace smiled. "I was hoping you'd like them."

Catherine squeezed Steve's hand and leaned into his side. She knew more than anyone how touched he was by the gifts.

"You're next, Lieutenant," he said with a smile.

Catherine opened the box Grace had given her to find a pair of beautiful silver earrings. Small hoops each adorned with a bright purple bead. "Oh my. They're beautiful," she beamed at Grace. "And the perfect color."

Grace giggled. "They had them in a lot of colors but I had to get the purple."

"Thanks," Steve winked at her.

"You're welcome," Grace beamed. "You're next, Danno."

Danny opened the small box he'd been handed to find a pair of monogrammed pewter cufflinks. "Monkey these are perfect," he grinned.

"Grandma helped me pick them out," Grace said. "Gabby told me that she'll have to go to a lot of fancy parties for her new job once she's back in Hawaii so I figured you could use something nice to wear."

"How did you get so smart," Danny said as he held out his arms for a hug.

"Uncle Steve says it must be his influence," Grace teased. Danny grabbed her and began tickling her. "Uncle Steve, huh?" he said as she laughed and tried to get away.

"You too," she giggled. "You too."

"You better say that," Danny said as she perched on his lap. "Okay it's your turn, Nonna. That one is from Grace and me."

Nonna opened the box to find a birthstone necklace with the stones of all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "Oh my," she said as her eyes dampened. "This is gorgeous. Mabel Tomacelli has something similar … I think I told you about it." She turned and looked at Danny.

"Busted," he said. "You seemed to like hers so much we decided to get you one of your own."

"It's perfect," Nonna beamed. "I'll wear it to church tonight. I want everyone to see it." She held the necklace up against her for everyone to see. "Now let's see what your father got for you, bambina."

Grace opened the long slender box in blue wrapping and extracted a silver charm bracelet. Her eyes grew wide as she held it carefully in her hand. "This is the one I showed you in the jewelry store at home," she said in a soft voice. "In the store that only sells grown up jewelry."

"That's right," Danny smiled softly. "But that doesn't mean it's ok for you to grow up too fast."

"I won't. I promise," she said as she held out her wrist for her father to clasp the bracelet. "Look it already has two charms. The state of New Jersey and the state of Hawaii."

"Perfect," Nonna clapped her hands happily. "Never forget your past but always celebrate your present."

"I guess it's time for Danny and Gracie to open our presents," Steve said as he took his turn playing delivery boy.

"And for you and Catherine to open mine," Danny said as he extracted an envelope from his pocket.

"You haven't gone first yet, Danny," Catherine said as she motioned for him to open his gift.

He tore into the beautifully wrapped package and found a certificate for a series of private cooking lessons he could take with Grace, given by Chef Carol, the woman who taught the class Catherine and Danny took together. "Wow. Thank you," he said sincerely. "This will be great. I really enjoyed that lesson."

"We're looking forward to tasting what you make," Catherine said.

"There's something else in the box," Grace said as she looked over his shoulder.

Danny reached into the box and pulled out a two-sided photo frame with a smiling picture of Grace at about age two on the beach in New Jersey and a picture on the beach behind Steve and Catherine's house taken over Thanksgiving. "Thanks, guys, this is awesome." Danny was clearly touched by the gift.

"You're very welcome," Catherine smiled. "Your turn, Grace."

Grace excitedly tore into her package to find two charms for her bracelet. "A cheerleader charm and a butterfly charm."

"I love them!" she said excitedly. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetie. But there's something else in the bottom of your box too," Steve said.

Grace dug under the paper and found a gift certificate for "_The Works_' at the spa she and Catherine loved. She squealed with delight. "Can we go together, Auntie Cath?"

"Of course," Catherine nodded. "I can't wait."

"Okay you guys open yours so we can start getting ready for church," Danny said to Steve and Catherine.

Steve handed Catherine the envelope and she placed her thumb under the tab and opened it. Inside was a confirmation for an overnight stay at the Borgata in Atlantic City.

"Danny," Catherine said. "This is too much … "

Danny cut her off. 'I know my family can be … a lot,' he smiled. "I figured you guys might like a little alone time. Go to Atlantic City. Have fun."

"Thanks, Danny," Steve said sincerely. "This is awesome."

My pleasure," Danny nodded. "Now I think my dinner has settled enough I can eat a little more dessert."

* * *

**11:15 p.m.  
**

Catherine donned the knit dress she'd bought when shopping online with Grace and turned to Steve who was checking his wallet. "Zip me?"

He placed a kiss on the nape of her neck before pulling up the zipper and running his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. "You look beautiful, Cath."

"Thanks," She grinned. "You're looking very handsome yourself." She sat and pulled on her dress boots. "I'm ready. Wanna check on Grace?"

Steve nodded and walked down the hall to the room Grace was in. "Gracie?" He tapped on the door. "All set, Sweetheart?"

The door flew open and Grace stood in the doorway wearing a red sweater, knit skirt and boots that looked suspiciously like Catherine's. Steve smiled "Look at you. Danno's gonna say you look too grown up to leave the house," he teased. "You look very pretty, Gracie."

Grace glowed at the compliment. "Thank you! You look really handsome. Isn't Auntie Cath's dress pretty? I helped her pick it out, you know."

"So I heard." Steve knew Grace had done quite a bit of cold weather shopping with Catherine to prepare for the trip. "It's just as pretty as yours. Good job."

Grace giggled. "I'll go see if Nonna's ready." She gave Steve a hug and ran down the stairs to the living room.

By the time Steve and Catherine reached the bottom of the stairs, Danny was saying "Really, Nonna, if you want …"

"Daniel, I don't expect you to come to mass if you don't want to, bello." She wrapped him in a hug. "Maybe someday, if you're ready." She gave him a smile.

"Thanks, Nonna, you're the best. I'll clean up here and have the after mass snacks set up, how's that sound?" Danny grinned and whispered, "Don't try to talk Father Joe into an impromptu wedding, okay?"

Nonna laughed. "Always my birichino one," She patted his cheek, using the Italian word for mischievous. "Make sure there's enough cocoa left for hot chocolate …" she began as Danny's parents came into the hall.

Since the family traditionally exchanged presents on Christmas Eve as a group, each little family celebrated Christmas day in their own homes. Normally, Nonna would be with Danny's parents for Christmas lunch, but since she had him, Grace, Steve and Catherine visiting, she was doing brunch for her guests in the morning.

"Ma, we're going to go. We'll talk to you tomorrow." Clara said and hugged her mother tightly. "Merry Christmas, I love you."

"I love you, figlia mio. Oh, Clara, look," Nonna pointed and spun her daughter a bit to see Grace descending the stairs. "Look at your beautiful granddaughter. Grace, Grandma and Grandpa are leaving, come say goodnight."

Grace hugged Danny's parents while he pulled out his camera. "Wait! Wait! Ma, hug Grace and Nonna again," He snapped several photos. "Three generations." Danny cleared his throat as Steve came up beside him.

"Danny, let me get one of all of you. Gracie, Sweetheart, stand between Danno and your grandpa." Steve photographed the family as Catherine joined them and took some with her phone and Grace's before everyone pulled on their coats and said another round of goodbyes.

"Danny," Catherine stepped back and whispered, "We could stay …"

"Absolutely not. Go with Nonna, you made her year by agreeing to go. She can show you two off to all her friends. She's been talking about you two since the summer." He handed Catherine her scarf that had fallen to the floor. "And Cath?"

"Yeah?" She looked at him.

"Thanks." He indicated Grace and Nonna who were standing on the outside porch with his parents and Steve.

Catherine hugged her friend. "Thank _you_. For sharing your family … with both of us."

Danny grinned. "Go on, before we have a Hallmark moment here. See if you can get the priest to throw a blessing on the Neanderthal to keep him safe. Maybe it'll make our jobs a little easier."

Catherine smiled warmly and shook her head before she joined Steve on the porch and slipped an arm around his waist as his wound around her shoulders.

With a nod, Danny backed inside and closed the door with a smile. "Hey, Angie! Sal!" He called into the kitchen, "I know you said your goodbyes, but that kitchen better be clean …" He teased as he crossed the living room to spend a few more minutes with his sister's family.

* * *

**St. Anthony's Church**  
**1:30 a.m.**

After midnight mass was over, and she introduced them to several friends, Nonna slipped an arm through each of Steve and Catherine's. "Come, come, I want you to meet Father Joe".

The smiling priest gave Nonna a hug, "This must be your family from Hawaii. Catherine and Steven, right?"

"This is them, Father, and this is Father Joe, my favorite priest ever," she said with a wink.

Steve extended his hand, "It's Steve please, and this is Catherine." She extended the hand that wasn't holding Grace's.

"Let me tell you, I've heard quite a bit about you two." He looked at Grace, "And this young lady can't be Danny's baby!" He winked and Grace nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Father."

"We're already old friends, Grace," Father Joe explained at her look. "I'll forgive you for not remembering me. You were a bit younger. I'm the one who baptized you."

Grace laughed. "Oh! You're in a picture in my baby album."

He ran a hand over his head, "Well I had a lot more hair, and a few less pounds then."

Nonna smiled and he continued, looking at Steve and Catherine, "You know, Nonna can't stop talking about how wonderful you are and about what a great time she had visiting her family in Hawaii when Danny extended her stay from our church trip. I was sorry I wasn't able to attend that trip but I ran our trip to Rome the year before and I trade off hosting with Father Dave, our other priest."

There was a line of parishioners waiting to say hello so Nonna pulled Father Joe in for a hug. "We'll get going. You have a wonderful dinner tomorrow, and get some rest on Friday. Tell your mom and brother I said Merry Christmas."

"And you tell the rest of your family." He turned to Steve and Catherine, "So nice to finally meet you both, and," he grinned at Grace, "to see you again, Grace. Even if it makes me feel old," he chuckled.

"Nonsense, you're still a youngster," Nonna said. "Try to get to the house for dinner this week, you hear?" She patted his arm. "And bring Father Dave." Nonna turned to Catherine, "That boy is too thin." She referred to the parish priest who'd con-celebrated the mass.

"Not for long in this parish," Father Joe joked, "there's way too much good Italian and Filipino food." He moved on to greet a family with two little ones, but said, "Merry Christmas, enjoy your visit," before he kneeled to say hello to the bundled up children in matching snow suits.

**End Chapter 2**

* * *

**Make sure to look out for today's McRoll in the REAL World bonus story: _Santa's Favorite Helper_ by Ilna**

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	3. Chistmas Surprises

_See notes in chapter 1._

**Christmas Surprises (3/12) **

* * *

**Nonna's House—Guest Room**

**Christmas morning **

**5:30 A.M.**

Catherine rolled to her right side when she felt Steve stir beside her and ran her hand lightly over his torso. When he murmured her name she rose up on one elbow and kissed his shoulder.

Then his cheek.

"Merry Christmas again."

She placed a third kiss on his lips.

"Love you."

Steve opened his hazel eyes and looked into her sparkling brown ones. "Love _you_. Merry Christmas, Cath."

He moved to wrap his arm over her warm torso as she snuggled into his side. "What time is it?" he murmured into her hair.

She glanced at the bedside clock that was lit by the dim streetlight filtering through the drapes. "Five thirty. We don't have to get up for hours."

"Hmm … good." Steve sighed and pulled her closer.

"I'm glad Nonna told us not to be up before ten." Catherine said languidly.

They'd gotten back from church close to one thirty and crawled into bed twenty minutes later, but by the time they'd exchanged some passionate holiday greetings it was nearly quarter to three before they fell asleep.

Catherine shifted slightly and kissed a spot she knew was extremely sensitive just under Steve's right ear. He groaned as she then caught his earlobe gently between her teeth.

"We don't have to be up for four hours …" she murmured against his skin.

"Excellent math skills ya got there." He teased as he rolled back and shifted Catherine to settle on top of him. He gave her a searing kiss and slid his hands down her bare skin to her butt. "Among your many other skills, of course…"

"Of course …" Her breath caught as his hands wandered. "Ohh," she gasped, "You just made _my_ nice list because you're being _very_ good, Commander," she breathed into his kiss.

She could feel his smirk against her skin. "Excellent, because you keep doing _that_ and you'll … hmmm … _definitely_ stay on my …."

The rest of his words were lost in a moan when Catherine obliged.

* * *

**10:05 A.M.**

Just as Steve and Catherine finished dressing to go downstairs there was a soft tap on the door. "Uncle Steve, Auntie Catherine, are you awake?" Grace asked in a soft voice from the hallway.

"We're awake, sweetie," Catherine said. "You can come in."

"Merry Christmas!" Grace said excitedly as she threw open the door and entered the room.

"Merry Christmas!" Steve and Catherine answered in unison.

"You have to come downstairs," Grace said animatedly. "I have a surprise for everyone."

"A surprise?" Catherine asked. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll have to come downstairs to see." Grace's eyes twinkled and she grinned ear to ear. "I already woke Danno up and Nonna got up about an hour ago but she didn't help me. I set up the whole surprise myself."

"Well you've definitely piqued my curiosity," Steve chuckled.

"Good. I'll meet you downstairs," Grace said as she turned and headed out the door. "Don't take too long," she called over her shoulder as she dashed down the hall

* * *

**Living Room**

**10:10 A.M.**

Steve and Catherine entered the living room and saw Nonna sitting in her recliner, smiling happily at Grace who was standing beside the coffee table which had been carefully laid out with five festive Christmas mugs, a large carafe of what smelled like freshly made hot chocolate, and an assortment of toppings including whipped cream, ground cinnamon, shaved chocolate and miniature marshmallows.

"SURPRISE!" she said excitedly as she motioned for Steve and Catherine to take their seats on the sofa.

"Monkey was a busy elf this morning," Danny said sleepily from his spot on the loveseat. "I didn't even hear her get up."

"Me either," Steve said as Catherine nodded in agreement.

"She was already hard at work when I got to the kitchen," Nonna said proudly.

"Would everyone like a cup of hot chocolate," Grace asked.

"Absolutely. It smells delicious," Danny said as the others chimed in and agreed.

Grace prepared each person's hot chocolate exactly as they wanted it and delivered it to them with a Christmas napkin and a coaster.

"You're the perfect hostess, Gracie," Steve smiled as she handed him his cup.

"Thanks," Grace beamed. "But the hot chocolate is only part of the surprise."

"Only part? What do you mean, Monkey?" Danny asked.

Grace finished preparing her own cup of hot chocolate and set it next to Danny's then after double-checking that everyone was set she went to the tree and removed three packages from behind the others. "I have one more Christmas surprise for everyone," she said as she handed one package to Danny, one to Nonna, and the final one to Steve and Catherine.

"What's this, Gracie," Steve asked. "You already got us presents."

"This is something I wanted to save as a surprise," Grace said excitedly. "I made them myself. I hope you like them. They're all kind of the same so you should all open them at the same time."

Steve, Catherine, Danny and Nonna opened their packages while Grace looked on nervously. Inside their boxes they found a photo album with a hand-painted cover and the words '_Our Year Together-2014'_.

"I painted the covers myself," Grace said shyly.

"It's beautiful, bambina," Nonna gushed.

"Absolutely gorgeous," Catherine agreed. "Where did you get such a great idea?"

"I was downloading the pictures off my phone onto my computer one day," Grace explained, "and I realized that I don't always remember to send copies to everyone I want to show the picture to. So I thought it would be fun to put together an album for everyone of pictures of some of the fun things we did together this year."

"This is absolutely amazing," Steve said as Catherine slowly turned the pages of the album.

"Some of the pictures in your album are things just you and I did together, Uncle Steve," Grace said, "like when you took me snorkeling and when we went for a hike. And some pictures are things I did just with Auntie Cath like the Aloha Girls sleepover and surf lessons. But when I was gathering up the pictures I realized how much time the three of us spend together, and how much fun we have, so I wanted to make it into one album because you and Auntie Cath and Cammie are a family now and families are about everybody together, not each person individually. Is that okay?"

Steve heard Catherine sniffle and he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the temple before turning to Grace. "That, Gracie, is absolutely okay. Because we _are _a family now, and you're a big part of it. Your Auntie Catherine and I will treasure this photo album forever."

"I'm glad," Grace clapped her hands together. "Maybe next time I sleep over at your house we can look at the pictures and remember all the fun we had this year."

"That is an excellent idea," Catherine said as she wiped a tear from her eye. At Grace's alarmed look she said "Happy tears, honey. I promise."

"Good," Grace smiled. "Nonna I filled yours with lots of pictures from your trip to Hawaii but also pictures of lots of fun things Danno and I did over the past year and pictures from when Auntie Catherine's family visited over Thanksgiving."

"It is perfect, angel," Nonna said as she turned the pages. "Later on I want you to sit with me and tell me about every picture."

"I will," Grace said eagerly.

"Do you like yours, Danno?" Grace asked. "I know you have copies of most of the pictures but I added some poems and song lyrics to the pages to help us always remember all the fun we had this year."

"You are amazing, Monkey.," Danny said as he held out his arms and Grace eagerly fell into them for a hug. "You are the best daughter a man could hope for and this is a very thoughtful gift that I love and will be bragging about for months."

"Dannno," Grace said.

"What?" He kissed the top of her head. "I'm your father. I'm allowed to brag about you."

"I have to give him that one, Gracie," Steve shrugged.

"Let them have their fun," Nonna smiled. "You and Catherine come help me get brunch on the table."

* * *

**Dining Room**

**11:00 A.M.**

"Have some more frittata, Steven." Nonna didn't wait for a reply before she added another slice to his plate.

"Nonna, I can't." He held up his hands with a smile. "I'm going to explode."

"Grace, please bring some more orange juice to the table!" Nonna called into the kitchen where Grace had gone to get ice for her apple juice. She looked between Steve and Catherine. "Nonsense. You'll work it off in Atlantic City."

Danny groaned, "Please don't encourage them," and smirked when his friends looked everywhere but at his grandmother. Steve and Catherine were so seldom embarrassed he loved every minute of watching them squirm.

"I have _no_ idea what you mean, Daniel," Nonna smiled sweetly. "I only meant there's _so_ much to do there; what with the famous boardwalk and all."

"Sure you did." Danny grinned at his grandmother. "_You_ are incorrigible." He reached over to kiss her cheek.

Steve cleared his throat as Grace reentered the room. "Did you sleep, Gracie? You were pretty tired last night," he said by way of changing the subject.

Grace nodded. "Yeah. And I was even up to call Mom. I wanted to see Charles open his present from me. Stan set up the tablet by the tree so I could watch, because Charles was up at five their time!"

She grinned when Danny said, "Not so long ago, so were you."

"I got him dinosaurs that hatch. You put these eggs in water and they turn into dinosaur toys. He really liked them!" Grace reported happily as she grabbed a piece of bacon off her dad's plate and popped it into her mouth.

"Hey!" Danny poked her gently and she giggled. "Did you just steal my food … I'm watching you…" He gestured to his own eyes and Grace's.

"Then I'll have to steal Uncle Steve's," she laughed and snatched a strawberry from Steve's dish. "_You_ don't mind, right, Uncle Steve?" she teased her dad.

"Never, Gracie." Steve winked at his niece. "Take whatever you want." He pushed his plate in her direction.

Catherine watched the exchange with a soft smile and shared a knowing look with Nonna. Both women knew that beneath the happy exchange was a young girl who knew her uncle would literally do anything for her, yet never took advantage; and a man who'd had no family for so many years, that having Grace tease her dad about their bond made him happier than she'd ever fully realize.

* * *

**Living Room **

**7:00 P.M.**

"No, everyone's gone," Catherine said as she sat on the couch with her feet pulled up under her talking on her cell phone. "Nonna is taking a little nap. And to be honest I could use one myself. People were in and all out all day, celebrating, and of course eating … and eating … and eating. Danny and Steve took Grace out for a walk around the neighborhood to look at the lights. How was Christmas at Uncle Greg's?" Catherine asked her mom.

"_It was lovely_," Elizabeth Rollins said. "_Grandma Ang was in her element. Some of Greg's neighbors came by and she found a whole group of people who had never heard her stories before."_

Catherine laughed. "A fresh crowd. That's her dream."

"_And they were eating it up. They stopped by for "a few minutes" and ended up staying for hours."_

"Well it sounds like you're having fun," Catherine said. "What's dad doing?"

"_He's in the game room with Greg and a few of the other men and they claim they're watching basketball but I'm pretty sure they're all napping."_

"That sounds about right." Catherine heard Steve, Danny and Grace come back into the house. "Well, I should go. Give everyone my love," she said as Steve poked his head in the living room.

"Is that your mom," he mouthed and Catherine shook her head yes. "Tell her I said hi."

"Steve says hi, Mom." Catherine passed along the message.

"_Tell him I said hello and thank him for the lovely pictures of our trip to Hawaii,_" Elizabeth said, referencing the framed photos Catherine and Steve gave Elizabeth and Joseph for Christmas.

"Mom said hi and thanks for the pictures," Catherine smiled as Steve came to sit next to her.

"You're welcome," Steve leaned in so Elizabeth could hear him. "We had a ball during your visit. We got copies of some of those same pictures for our own house."

"_Grandma Ang was regaling the neighbors today with stories of surfing and hula and helicopter tours,_" Elizabeth chuckled. "_She can't wait to come back."_

"We'd love to have you anytime," Steve said sincerely.

"_Thanks, we appreciate that. Merry Christmas to everyone there. We'll talk to you soon_," Elizabeth said.

"Bye," Catherine and Steve said in unison then Catherine disconnected the call.

"Sounds like they're having fun," Steve said.

"Yes it does," Catherine said as she laid her head on Steve's shoulder. "I think we're all having a great Christmas."

* * *

**Nonna's Bedroom**

**9:30 P.M.**

"Bella?" Nonna popped her head into the hall when she heard Catherine coming up the stairs. She knew by the sound of the footsteps who it was. Years of listening to family run up and down those very same stairs had honed her ability to identify who was approaching long before they reached her door.

"Yes, Nonna?" Catherine said with a smile.

"Can you come here for a minute?"

Catherine entered Nonna's room "Of course. Do you need something?"

"No, darling. I'm fine. Come, sit." She sat and patted the bed next to her.

Nonna's room was decorated in various shades of green with large, substantial looking mahogany furniture. Catherine loved it and said as much.

"Oh, Bella, this furniture is probably older than your mother," Nonna chuckled. "We bought it when we were first married."

"Really? That's …" Catherine smiled, "so special."

"It was what we could afford then. My parents and grandparents chipped in to buy the bed and dresser. That's what Italian families did as a wedding gift; bought furniture if they could afford it. A room of furniture was a very generous gift. Now, all these years later, it's _vintage_," Nonna laughed.

She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "I wanted to give you this, away from the crowd."

"Nonna, you gave us a gift, and that incredible recipe book, this isn't…" Catherine started.

"Shhh, open it." Nonna's eyes twinkled.

"Thank you, I …" Catherine's ears pinked as she looked inside the envelope.

"That's for your trip to Atlantic City," Nonna smiled. "Run up to the mall and buy something … _special_," she winked mischievously.

Catherine's blush deepened. "Nonna!"

"What?" Nonna said happily, "You expected to be here at the house for the week …"

"Cath?" Steve's voice preceded him up the staircase.

"In Nonna's room!" Catherine called, and as Steve's frame appeared the doorway, Nonna stood and waved him in. "We're all done, Steven. I just wanted to give Catherine a little something extra."

"That's so nice …" Steve caught the blush on his girlfriend's cheeks. Catherine wasn't one to embarrass easily and he wondered what discussion with Nonna could inspire that look.

Until Catherine held up the certificate to show him.

Then Steve's color matched hers.

In seconds flat.

"N … Nonna?" His voice didn't quite sound like his own.

"What, Steven? That's for you, too." She chuckled and Steve's color deepened. "I'm sure Catherine would have packed a little _differently_ if you'd known about Daniel's gift. I thought she could get something nice and surprise you."

She laughed out loud at their matching, stricken looks.

"I'm old, not dead. I do remember how things work." She looked at Catherine who was still charmingly pink. "Go buy something pretty, even if you won't have it on very long."

Nonna patted Steve's cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

As they went into the hall after saying good night Steve took Catherine's elbow and steered her into their room. "Thank God she didn't give you that last night in front of everyone," he laughed, shaking his head. Then his eyes lit as a thought popped into his head.

"Hey, do I get to look at the catalog and help you shop?"

"I think that can be arranged," Catherine smiled.

* * *

**END CHAPTER 3**

If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games.

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	4. Snow Covered Memories

_See AN's in Chapter 1_

**Snow Covered Memories (4/12)**

**December 26****th**

**Nonna's Dining Room  
****9:30 A.M.**

"I can't believe you are going to brave a New Jersey mall on the day after Christmas," Danny said as he leaned back in his chair having just polished off another one of Nonna's delicious breakfasts. He was sitting at the table with Steve, Catherine and Nonna finishing their coffee while Grace was upstairs talking to Rachel on the phone.

"It won't be too bad," Catherine scoffed. "I just need a few things."

"This isn't Hawaii," Danny laughed. "Mall shopping in New Jersey is a blood sport. Especially the day after Christmas."

"Don't try to scare them," Nonna fussed. "They'll be fine."

"Of course they'll be fine," Danny teased. "They're both trained extensively in the art of self-defense. They may very well have to call on that training is all I'm saying."

"I think you're exaggerating," Steve grinned.

"All those people that found gift cards under their tree yesterday?" Danny reminded them. "Today those people are out at the mall trying to take advantage of after-Christmas sales and get the most for their cards. It is going to be a nightmare."

"We'll be fine," Catherine said confidently.

"Why don't you wait till next week when you can … " Danny started.

"I can't," Catherine cut him off. "I need a few things for Atlantic City."

"What kind of things … you know what … never mind," Danny said. "Just call if you get trampled by a mob of people after cheap electronics and I'll come rescue you."

/

**Victoria's Secret**

**Willowbrook Mall, Wayne, NJ**

**11:00 A.M.**

Steve and Catherine made their way through the lower level of the mall towards the Victoria's Secret store located close to Bloomingdales.

Danny was right about one thing.

The mall was packed.

They made their way through the throngs of shoppers and finally arrived at their destination. Catherine smirked at Steve's uncomfortable look. "Last call, Commander, want to come in with me?"

"No." Steve shook his head adamantly.

Catherine knew he had zero intention of entering the store with giant lingerie-clad model posters in the windows, but she couldn't resist teasing him. "What if I get something you don't like?" she asked.

She held in a laugh as two teenaged couples brushed past them while exiting the store. Truth be told, Catherine thought it odd that boys that young were in a lingerie store with their girlfriends, or more likely dates. She shook her head at Steve's expression. "Young, huh?"

"Definitely. And, really? They're not embarrassed?" Steve shook his head.

While he was the first to admit there wasn't a women's clothing store he appreciated more, he, like most guys, preferred to enjoy the merchandise _on_ his girlfriend, not on the racks with other women, total strangers, staring at them.

"Guess not. Apparently the girls aren't either. I see young guys in the branch at home, too," Catherine said. "Can you imagine Danny in a few years if he knew Grace went shopping at Victoria's Secret with a date?"

"Don't!" Steve held up a hand as if to physically stop the thought. "Cath, I can't even, just … no."

She giggled. "I'm kidding. I doubt Grace would parade a guy through a lingerie store, anyway, but your _Uncle_ _Steve_ face is … priceless."

"Nice. Torment me then leave me alone to deal with this craziness." Steve leaned down to kiss her cheek. "And as for your original question; do they sell high necked, ankle length, flannel anything in there?" His eyes glinted.

"Nope," she smiled.

"Then I can't imagine your choices will be a problem. Never have been before." He motioned for her to hand him the shopping bags. "Give me those, so nothing hinders your ability to … shop. I'll meet you in the food court," he grinned.

"Go," she laughed. "I'll be forty minutes, tops."

"_Forty_? Really?"

"It's crowded. I've gotta try stuff on." She turned Steve and gave him a playful shove. "Order me a Cinnabon, ooh and a hot chocolate. I'm splurging."

"Didn't we just finish breakfast," Steve teased.

"Shopping gives me an appetite," Catherine smiled as Steve walked away and she entered the store.

* * *

**Parking Lot  
****12:30 P.M.**

As Steve pulled the rental car out of the crowded parking lot for the ride back to Nonna's it started to snow.

"Look at that," he said with a touch of awe in his voice. "I haven't seen snow at Christmas since I had leave your last year at the Academy."

Catherine nodded and smiled. "I remember your face when I pelted you with snowballs."

"I don't remember snowballs," Steve said, pretending to search his memory. "What I do remember is you dumping a ton of snow down my coat," he teased.

"Yeah," she laughed. "That, too. I won though."

"Won?" Steve said incredulously. "You ambushed me."

Her happy laughter made him smile. "I still won."

"If it snows enough, we'll see who wins this time." Steve took her fingers and squeezed them gently. "Forewarned is forearmed."

"You're on, Commander." She tugged his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "Besides, I remember that snowball fight having a _very_ happy ending."

Steve grinned as he thought back to the leave they'd spent in a Best Western five miles from campus the Christmas of Catherine's senior year at the Naval Academy.

Catherine and Carrie had been invited by a local friend to stay at her place in town for the holiday, since neither was travelling during their two and a half week leave. Catherine's parents were stationed overseas and Grandma Ang was joining Uncle Greg and his family on a holiday cruise.

While Elizabeth and Joseph would have been happy to send Catherine a plane ticket, and would have loved to see her, they were very proud of their daughter's reason for refusing. She and several friends who were in their last year at the Academy had volunteered with Habitat for Humanity from December 27th through New Years.

When Steve called on December 19th to say he'd arranged four days leave, she declined the Christmas invitation and immediately booked the only hotel room still available in town.

Steve's flight arrived on December 23rd, just before a nor'easter, and by the time he met up with Catherine at the hotel, there were six inches of snow covering the DC area.

She'd been anxiously waiting in the lobby and immediately ran outside, kissed him thoroughly and dumped a mitten full of snow down his back. They spent several minutes tussling in the fresh snow on the hotel's lawn before going inside and not surfacing again until Christmas morning.

Even though it was nothing fancy, and their Christmas dinner was turkey platters in the hotel's restaurant, it was the best Christmas Steve had had since he'd left Hawaii.

"Hey, you still with me, McGarrett?" she teased at his faraway look.

"Definitely." Steve's nostalgic smile morphed into a smirk. "Just remembering that night, after the snowball incident."

Catherine smiled at him, happy to see his jovial, teasing look. "Yeah, well, we'll have just as much fun this year, only in a much better hotel," she winked.

"Hotel, sleeping bag, cave, as long as it's with you…" he said as they pulled the rental into Nonna's driveway.

"Keep talking like that we won't make it to dinner." She leaned over and kissed him quickly, before hopping out into the freezing air and running for the door.

* * *

**Nonna's House  
****1:30 P.M.**

Catherine and Steve entered the house and shook off the few snowflakes they'd managed to get covered with on the trip from the car. They found a note on the table in the hallway explaining that Danny and Grace had accompanied Nonna on her annual trip to deliver cookies to some of the neighbors and would be back soon.

Catherine hung their coats in the closet and headed upstairs with her purchases while Steve headed to the kitchen to put on a fresh pot of coffee.

Once in the guest room, Catherine added her purchase to the bag she was packing for the Atlantic City trip and grabbed her tablet. Heading down to the living room, she called "Steve?" and he entered from the kitchen.

"Hey." He joined her on the sofa and indicated the tablet. "Who are you calling?"

"Cammie." She dialed up and saw Chin's smiling face appear on screen.

Steve laughed. "Really?"

She elbowed him. "Hey, Chin! Merry Christmas again. How was the rest of your day?"

Chin focused the camera in his tablet. "Great. I may not eat for the next two days. Auntie made enough food for a hundred people," he chuckled. "There were actually only around fifty, so…"

"You had to do your part and eat enough?" she guessed with a laugh.

"Something like that," Chin laughed. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to call before you left for HQ so we could talk to Cammie," Catherine admitted.

Chin smiled but didn't say a word.

"Can you call her?" she asked.

"She's right here." Chin placed the tablet on the coffee table at dog-level. "Cammie, your mom wants to say hello."

When Cammie didn't react right away Catherine said, "She knows us by our names, because that's how we refer to each other in front of her. Tell her it's Catherine and Steve."

Chin shook his head and chuckled. "Cammie, wanna see Steve and Catherine? C'mere, girl."

Cammie's ears instantly pricked and her face appeared on the tablet. Catherine clapped and smiled. "Ohhh there's my pretty girl. I miss you, Cammie, are you being good for Chin?"

Steve grinned and wrapped an arm around Catherine, kissing her temple as the dog gave a "woof!"

Catherine tugged Steve into the frame. "Say 'hi,' " she instructed.

"Yes, Steve say 'hi' to your dog." Danny came into the room with a laugh and called, "Hi, Cammie. Hey, Chin." He grinned at his bad ass partner who was trying to hide a smile.

"Your timing is impeccable," Steve laughed.

"As always," Danny grinned. "Grace and Nonna are in the kitchen planning a special dinner before you head off to AC in the morning."

Steve turned back to the tablet. "Hey, Cammie, hi, Girl," he said and when Cammie did a little twirling dance, he could no longer bite back the grin.

"We miss you, baby. We'll be home soon. You have fun with Chin and Esther," Catherine said and sniffed. "Thanks, Chin. Call if you need us. Be safe today."

"No problem. Call us anytime," Chin looked at Cammie who'd settled as soon as she was no longer being directly addressed by her humans. "Right, Cammie?" he grinned again.

Steve leaned back in. "Chin, call if anything comes up. Seriously. I got the dailies yesterday. Looked like a quiet overnight."

"Hey, Steve?" Chin said.

"Yeah?" Steve answered.

"Stop working. We're fine. Work's fine. Your dog is fine. Enjoy your time off, brother."

Steve nodded. "Thanks, Chin."

"Bye, Cammie, Bye, Chin," Catherine called as the screen went dark.

She ran a hand across her eyes and looked at Steve. "Don't laugh …" She gave him a watery smile.

"What?" Steve kissed her forehead. "C'mon, I miss her, too."

Catherine nodded.

"I'm not laughing, Cath," he insisted.

"Even though I'm crying because I miss our dog?" she asked skeptically.

He hugged her close. "Never. Now let's go see if Nonna needs any help."

**END CHAPTER 4**

* * *

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* * *

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	5. Magic Touches

_See ANs in Chapter 1_

**Magic Touches (5/12)**

**.**

**December 27****th**

**Borgata Hotel/Casino Atlantic City, NJ**

**9:45 A.M.**

"Welcome to the Borgata, Sir, Ma'am. My name is Ted. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance during your stay. The temperature controls are on the far wall and the safe's in the closet." The college-age bell hop placed their bags on the luggage holders. His eyes took in the handsome couple and he smiled. "Little holiday break? We have great sales at our high end outlets this week."

"Gift from a friend, actually," Catherine said as her eyes took in the room.

"Good friend," Ted smiled. "Mini bar's right there in the cabinet under the TV. There's a services menu on the table. You'll also find a list of our restaurants and night clubs in there and just so you know we have a great spa right in the hotel." He completed his 'amenities' patter and grinned. "You guys just get back from vacation?" At their looks he continued, "Great tan, Sir."

He wasn't used to seeing customers with a tan like Steve's in December. Most of the hotel's winter patrons were from within a few hours' drive of Atlantic City.

"Oh. No," Steve shook his head. "We're from Hawaii." He handed the young man a ten, which earned him a huge smile.

"Thank you, Sir!" Ted grinned "Hawaii, huh? Sweet. And you came to _New Jersey_ for Christmas?"

Steve flashed back a few years to his comment to Danny about 'no one in Hawaii vacationing in New Jersey' and grinned as Catherine happily informed Ted, "We're visiting family," with a huge smile.

"Oh, that's cool. Well, you enjoy your stay and good luck."

Steve followed the kid to the door, flipped the lock, and then crossed the room to where Catherine stood at the window checking out the view. He peeled off his shirt and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Ocean view," she murmured. "The water's so different here in the winter; it's grey."

She tilted her head to give him better access to where he was kissing her neck.

Steve smiled against her skin. "Hmmm? Water?"

"It's still beautiful," Catherine said.

Steve untucked her shirt and slid his hands slowly across her tummy. "Yes, you are."

She spun to face him with a grin. "Oh, very smooth."

His hands danced across her back. "I must be slipping if you're talking about the water a full thirty seconds after I locked the door to this room." His grin was mischievous.

"You slipping?" She kissed him soundly. "Never. Just give me a second to slip into one of the little surprises I bought yesterday."

* * *

**10:45 a.m.**

"Nonna was right," Catherine whispered as her breathing returned to normal.

"About what?" Steve mumbled into her hair.

She motioned with a rather boneless arm in the general direction of her new teddy, which was laying on the corner of the king sized bed. "Didn't stay on very long, did it?"

She was resting across his chest and Steve's eyes still held their mischievous glint when she shifted to look at him.

"Stayed on plenty long enough ..." he smirked and ran a hand up and down her side. "And for the record, it was definitely a good choice."

"Glad you approve, because there's another little something in my bag for later …"

She smiled against his skin and Steve hummed appreciatively as she reached up to kiss him softly before they both fell asleep.

* * *

**2:00 p.m.**

Catherine opened her eyes slowly. She realized she'd fallen asleep with her head across Steve's torso as the two of them were sprawled diagonally across the king sized bed. Steve's change in breathing had woken her and she pushed up to see him smiling at her sleepily.

"Hungry?" She asked.

"Always." He purred as he wrapped his arms around her, sliding her body higher on his so he could kiss her.

"For _food_," she clarified as she sat up. "I'm starving. Do you feel like the … what did Danny call it … _'_eat till you puke buffet?_'"_ she grinned. "Or would you prefer room service?"

Steve reached to pull her back down. "That depends entirely on my _dessert_ options." His smile was wolfish.

"Well, we could get dressed and go for lunch or …" She kissed him again, running her hands over his shoulders.

"Or what?" he said. "Now, I'm interested."

"Or get room service and go out for a nice dinner." She untangled herself. "I need a drink. Want a water?" She slipped off the bed and crossed to the mini bar. When he didn't answer, she repeated, "Steve? Do you want a water?" and glanced over her shoulder.

"Hmmn?" His eyes roamed her body hungrily. "Sorry, I was distracted by the … view."

She smirked, "Last call …" as she held up a bottle. "Water?"

Steve's "Yeah," was drowned by Catherine's sudden laughter.

"What?" He sat up.

"I …" She tried to continue but couldn't. "I …" Her body quaked with laughter and she leaned a hand on the cabinet holding the TV and mini bar.

Steve got up and stood behind her. "A 'you _touch it you bought it_' pressure-sensitive mini bar with twelve dollar packs of almonds and … gummy bears?" He looked confused. "That's what's so funny?"

Catherine gasped and calmed her breathing. "N … no. Look." Steve made a move to pick up the item she pointed at, but her "Don't lift it!" and hand on his stopped him cold, "Or we'll have to pay for it."

Looking closer, Steve's bark of laughter started a new wave from Catherine.

"Damn, we should have seen that before," she sputtered.

"Still plenty of time …" He waggled his eyebrows and pulled her close, still chuckling. "What's in it? 'Cause I'm game you want to …"

"You're _always_ game if I want to …" She playfully smacked his chest. "But we are _not_ paying forty seven dollars for the '_Make Lovin' Fun_ _Kit'_." She burst into giggles again and wiped her eyes, which still brimmed with tears of laughter. "Which contains nothing more than …" Catherine read aloud, "two flavored condoms and a tiny, two ounce tube of flavored lube. That _name_, who makes this stuff up?"

Steve grinned. "We can make a _whole_ lot of fun for a lot less than forty seven dollars." He pulled her against him to prove his point.

"We absolutely can." Catherine kissed him thoroughly before backing away. "But feed me first."

She walked over to grab the room service menu and pressed it into his hands. "I want to try the steak place for dinner, so surprise me." With a brush of her lips across his, she placed the two waters on the night table and said, "The faster you call, the more time we have for a whole lot of fun."

Steve was placing the order before she disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

**11:00 p.m.**

The _Tribute to the 80s_ show offered in the hotel lounge held no interest for Steve or Catherine so they bundled up after dinner and went for a walk on the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk. Returning to the hotel, chilled but laughing over some people-watching, they made their way back through the casino. Passing the roulette table, Catherine slowed and looked at the wheel's outcome. She turned to Steve. "Let's play."

"Really? Gonna go that route tonight?" Steve teased.

"Yep." She grinned. "Why?"

Steve leaned in close and whispered, "Because we only have thirty-six hours and I was hoping to play more … private games tonight."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to some private games." Catherine kissed his cheek and brushed her lips against his ear before pulling back with a smile to say, "I won't repeat Singapore, I promise."

"Good," Steve smiled, "because even if you did make a killing that night and I really enjoyed that suite, I seriously thought we were getting hauled off to jail for card counting."

"Hmpf," Catherine huffed. "Like I couldn't win without counting cards."

He smiled. "You were more interested in the side bet with Carter and Silverman than the take, but the pit boss came and studied your game. Twice."

Catherine's competitive streak had always matched his, and Steve thought back to the week they spent in Singapore in April 2010 with a grin as he tossed their coats over an empty observer's chair.

Catherine had time between assignments after completing a TAD assignment in COMLOG WESTPAC and Steve had arranged seven days leave. He flew to Singapore from Phitsanulok, Thailand and they happened to be there during the opening of Marina Bay Sands Resort and Casino.

The opening was a huge event featuring four thousand invited guests and customers, and a concert by Diana Ross and Kelly Rowland. The SkyPark was opened on the second day to a crowd of close to two thousand visitors and Steve and Catherine decided the resort was something they wanted to check out.

In the casino that night, while she and Steve played blackjack, the beautiful American Naval officer was tapped for a guest tournament, probably more for PR than because the pit boss was impressed by her gambling prowess, but he was quickly proved wrong.

When two of Catherine's fellow intelligence officers saw her in the game, they'd side-bet their friend she couldn't beat the house.

Not only did she beat the house and the odds, but in three hours Catherine amassed eleven thousand four hundred and seventeen dollars in winnings. When Steve adamantly refused to take half she ended up giving a donation to the Navy Widows and Orphans' fund and investing the rest. That was, of course, after she moved herself and Steve to a suite in one of the new hotel's three towers where they spent the bulk of their next five days and nights.

Steve grinned proudly at the memory and dropped a kiss in her hair from his place behind her. "So, roulette tonight, not blackjack?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "Look at the last two numbers."

"Twenty one and … ten." Steve saw Catherine's and his birthdays on the indicator. "You're not superstitious."

"Nonna wants us to play twenty dollars for her. She said ten each on Danny and Grace's birthdays," Catherine shrugged. She tossed three twenty dollar bills on the table and took a seat.

"Sixty for the lady. Good luck!" The dealer smiled and placed a stack of chips in front of Catherine. At twenty dollars per spin, inside/outside minimum, she figured maybe they'd get Nonna a few extra dollars for her next casino trip.

Two spins later, the dealer announced, "Twenty three, red and odd!" with a grin and piled seven hundred dollars' worth of chips in front of Catherine.

Steve raised an eyebrow when she turned to him and clapped with delight. "Twenty three?" he asked.

Catherine pushed the chips toward the dealer. "Cash out." She turned a beautiful smile on Steve. "That's the day we found Cammie."

Steve threw back his head and laughed as the dealer said, "And the lady quits while she's ahead." He handed her three hundred dollar and several lower denomination chips. "Good luck, Ma'am, Sir." He nodded with a smile. "Enjoy your night."

* * *

Upstairs in their room, Steve turned away after locking the door, said, "Cath, can …" and stopped short, his eyes following Catherine as she dropped her purse and sat on the left-side of the bed to kick off her boots. "That's my side," he indicated with a chin tilt when he spoke again.

"What?" Her voice was lost inside the top she was pulling over her head.

"I sleep on the left." He stated the obvious. "Haven't slept on the right for more than two years."

"So you want the left?" She paused, top in hand, and tilted her head.

Steve shook his head. "No. Actually, I was gonna …" He regarded her thoughtfully. "How'd you …"

"Know you were gonna ask to switch?" Catherine shrugged. "You prefer to sleep closest to the door."

Steve strode over, tugged her up and caught her in his arms. "You know me _way_ too well, Rollins."

"That a problem?" She linked her hands behind his neck.

"Planning to write a tell-all book?" he teased.

She gave him a dazzling smile. "Now there's an idea, but, nah."

"Good. Then not a problem," he smiled.

"Excellent," Catherine purred as she pressed against him. "Now let's see how you operate from the other side of the bed."

* * *

**END CHAPTER 5**

* * *

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	6. War Games

_See ANs in Chapter 1_

**War Games (6/12)**

**Borgata Resort &amp; Casino**

**Sunday December 28****th**

**7:00 A.M.**

Catherine turned from her position by the large windows overlooking the ocean as Steve emerged from the bathroom. Her eyes danced with excitement. "It's snowing!"

"Really?" Steve crossed the room to stand beside her and watch the softly falling flakes. "That's awesome."

"Looks like it must have started a while ago," Catherine said exuberantly. "The snow doesn't stick this close to the ocean but Danny texted and said there are already a couple of inches on the ground at Nonna's."

"You might get that snow fight rematch we talked about after all," he teased.

"Bring it on, Commander." Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "But first we have a massage scheduled for 7:15 in the spa so we better get moving."

* * *

**Noon**

After a relaxing massage and a leisurely breakfast in the relaxing atmosphere of _The Sunroom_ Steve and Catherine made a quick stop in the gift shop and decided to head back to Nonna's before the weather got any worse.

Luckily for Steve, who certainly had very little experience driving in snow and ice, the road crews had managed to keep the roads mostly clear and the drive back to Nonna's was uneventful. As they approached the house they saw a number of cars in the driveway and several people decked out in full snow gear milling around the yard. Steve pulled into the driveway and parked behind a car he was fairly sure belonged to Danny's parents.

"Uncle Steve! Auntie Catherine!" Grace said as she approached the car excitedly. "You're back. Did you have a good time?"

"We had a great time," Catherine said as Grace hugged her and then headed to the driver's side to greet Steve.

"We're getting ready for a snowball fight," Grace's eyes twinkled as she looked at Steve conspiratorially. She'd been waiting for this moment since the day she spent tutoring him in proper snowball throwing technique on the beach while Catherine and Danny took a cooking class. "I was hoping you'd make it back in time."

"Then I'm glad we decided to leave a little early," Steve smiled. "But if it's time for a snowball fight then I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Grace looked between Steve and Catherine. "What kind of surprise?"

"Just a little something," Steve smiled. "It's upstairs." He grabbed their bags from the back seat of the car while Catherine gathered up the packages from the gift shop.

"Why don't you take Grace upstairs and give her her surprise while I go let Nonna know we're back," Catherine smiled as they closed the car doors and started up the walk.

"You didn't have to get me another surprise," Grace said sincerely. "You already got me Christmas presents."

"I know," Steve smiled. "This is just a little thank you for helping me prepare for the snowball battle."

"I was happy to do it," Grace smiled. "I hope we end up on the same team."

"We'll have to make sure we do," Steve chuckled. "I might need my coach to give me some last minute instructions."

Grace giggled happily as they reached the front door and after depositing their coats and scarves in the closet she and Steve headed upstairs while Catherine went off in search of Nonna.

* * *

**10 minutes later**

**Living Room**

Catherine stood in doorway, her cheeks still pink from the cold air outside, animatedly describing to Nonna, Danny, Clara and Eddie what a great time she and Steve had at the Borgata. She excitedly informed Nonna that she played roulette with the money Nonna had given her to bet and that the original $20 had turned into $700. Nonna said Catherine should keep the money and buy herself something nice but Catherine insisted the money was Nonna's and that she should splurge a little on her next casino trip.

Suddenly Grace burst into the living room wearing the pea coat Steve had purchased for her.

"Danno, look what Uncle Steve got me!" she said excitedly. "It's just like the ones he and Auntie Catherine have!"

"I see that," Danny smiled broadly, caught up in his daughter's exuberance. "That's really something."

"Isn't it awesome?!" Grace did a spin for everyone in the room.

"It's beautiful, Grace," Clara laughed.

"You look gorgeous, bambina," Nonna smiled.

"I can wear a few sweaters under it and it'll be perfect for the snowball fight," she said enthusiastically. "And for when Mom and I go to Michigan, and to England. I can't wear it in Hawaii but I'll still get lots of use out of it."

"I'm sure you will," Eddie agreed.

"Did you thank Uncle Steve?" Danny asked.

"Several times," Steve assured his partner.

Grace turned to Catherine. "How do I look, Auntie Cath?"

"Perfect," Catherine smiled softly. "Now Uncle Steve and I need to get changed. We have a snowball battle to win."

* * *

**Nonna's Yard**

**1:30 P.M.**

"Ok most of us know how this works but I'll review the rules for our visitors from Hawaii," Danny's sister Angela smirked. "And for my brother who's been living in the sun too long so may have forgotten," she teased.

"You just keep talking, Angela," Danny grumbled. "We'll see who's laughing when it's all over."

"There are sixteen of us that means eight per team," Angela continued. "In honor of the holiday we'll call it the red team and the green team." Angela held up sixteen pieces of ribbon pilfered from Nonna's stash. Eight red and eight green. "We'll place all these ribbons in the middle. The first team to capture all their ribbons will be declared the winner."

"Seems pretty clear," Catherine said as she tightened her scarf and pulled her hat down a little farther over her ears.

"To be clear," Angela said, "each team member must retrieve their own ribbon. No fair having one person get them all. Right, Daniel?"

"Sounds like there might be a story there," Steve chuckled.

"There is," Angela smirked. "It involves Danny trading coats with some of the … well let's just say weaker members of his team … and retrieving their ribbons. There'll be none of that. So now let's pick teams."

"I'll be a captain," Angela offered. "You wanna take the other team, Danny?"

"Sure," Danny said. "Let's do it. I'll even let you pick first."

"I'll take, Sal," Angela said as she pointed to her husband,

"I'll take Grace," Danny countered.

"I'll take dad," Angela said triumphantly.

"I'll take Steve," Danny said.

"You sure you wanna do that?" Angela teased. "Not sure how much practice a person gets throwing snowballs in Hawaii."

"_More than you think_," Steve whispered to Grace as he took his place at her side.

"Don't worry about my team," Danny said. "You worry about your own."

"Fine," Angela scoffed. "I'll take Eric."

Danny's nephew took his place beside Angela.

"Catherine," Danny said as his eyes twinkled. His family might think Steve and Catherine were gonna be easy targets because they so rarely saw snow but he knew he was assembling an unbeatable team.

"Theresa," Angela pointed to her sister.

The picking continued until each team had eight members. Danny filled out his team with his niece Francesca, his childhood friend Mary Celeste who now lived across from Nonna, her son Carmine and her nephew Jacob.

Angela's team added Mary Celeste's daughter Serafina, her boyfriend Frankie and Jacob's brother Bobby.

Both teams huddled up to come up with a strategy. Grace took a minute to run to her grandmother, Clara, who had declared herself official referee, since she had no desire to participate in the melee. Grace handed over her phone and asked her grandmother to take as many pictures as possible.

"This is gonna be like taking candy from a baby," Angela said smugly. "Half the other team hasn't seen snow in years."

Meanwhile in the other huddle Steve was in his element. "The important thing is we remember we're a team," he said. "We all work together and methodically get our own ribbons while at the same time we keep the other team from getting theirs. We need to create a united front."

"This isn't war games," Danny chuckled.

"It more or less is," Steve shrugged as Catherine nodded in agreement.

"Remember," Angela yelled from across the yard, "No biting, spitting or hair pulling."

"Has that been a problem in the past?" Steve called back.

"Are you kidding me?" Angela asked incredulously. "These guys are hair pullers from way back. I was the youngest in my family and one of the youngest cousins. I spent most of my childhood half bald."

Steve, Catherine and Grace turned to look at Danny.

"She's exaggerating," he scoffed.

"No hair pulling. We got it," Steve called back. "Are we ready to go?"

"Let's do it!" Angela said and the battle was on.

/

Steve, Catherine and Danny provided cover as Grace dashed forward to claim her ribbon. Carmine, Jacob, Mary Celeste, and Francesca made snowballs and passed them off as quickly as they could. Danny's team, who had christened themselves Team Aloha at Grace's suggestion, found that having half the team providing a steady stream of snowballs while the other half provided cover was an effective strategy. They rotated jobs after each ribbon was captured thereby ensuring they always had fresh arms throwing.

Grace kept her head down, just like Steve and Danny told her to, and dashed directly towards her ribbon. Every time a member of the other team popped out to throw a snowball Steve, Danny and Catherine peppered him or her with cover fire. Grace was hit once or twice but nowhere near enough to make her turn back. She grabbed the ribbon and headed triumphantly back to her team.

"I got it!" she said excitedly as she took cover behind a hastily constructed snow wall about three feet high.

"Great job," Danny said as he gave Grace a quick hug before she turned and high-fived Steve and Catherine.

"Awesome, Gracie," Steve smiled.

Grace leaned close to Steve and whispered, "Great job with the cover fire. You throw like a pro."

Steve smiled and winked at her.

"And my pea coat kept me warm and dry," Grace proclaimed proudly. "I barely even felt the snowballs that hit me."

"So let's see where we stand," Steve took a minute to reassess. "We have five of our ribbons and they have three. We only need three more—mine, Catherine's and Danny's—and we win."

Just then Theresa made a run for her ribbon and the Aloha team raised up and pelted her with snowballs forcing her to turn back.

"I'll go next," Danny said as he tugged his scarf up over his face. "We've been at this for almost an hour and I'm frozen."

Catherine rotated back to snowball making duty as Carmine and Jacob stepped forward to take their turn as throwers.

"I had the biggest crush on Danny when we were in school," Mary Celeste confided to Catherine as they added snowballs to the ammo pile. "I hear through the grapevine he's still single. Maybe I should make my move and he can whisk me away to the sun and sand of Hawaii," she said dreamily. "It would sure beat the snow."

Catherine smiled politely. She wasn't sure if the woman was serious or not. "Danny's single but he's not completely unattached," she said. "His former girlfriend is moving back to Hawaii in a few weeks and I think they plan on giving it another try."

"Too bad," Mary Celeste sighed as she glanced over the wall just in time to see Danny grab his ribbon and head back towards them. "The good ones are always taken."

Suddenly Eddie dashed out and despite a torrent of snowballs thrown in his direction managed to grab his ribbon and return to the other team's base.

"Six to four," Grace reported.

"You're up, Cath," Steve said.

"No problem," Catherine said as she squared her shoulders and prepared to head out.

Steve leaned in impulsively and kissed her. "For luck," he said. "Now knock 'em dead."

Catherine ran full tilt towards her goal, keeping as low as possible and moving in a serpentine pattern. Sal managed to hit her square in the chest with a large snowball that stunned her for just a second but she shook it off, grabbed her ribbon and headed back.

"One more and we win," Grace said excitedly. "Just you, Uncle Steve."

"I won't let the team down," Steve said resolutely as he headed towards the ribbons at the same time Angela did.

Both Steve and Angela dodged snowballs and headed towards their targets with laser focus. They reached their destination and grabbed their ribbons at the same time.

"Not bad for a guy who lives in the land of eternal sunshine," Angela said.

Steve laughed as he headed back towards his cheering teammates.

"WE WON!" Grace said triumphantly.

"Great work," Steve said as he high-fived every member of his team.

In the spirit of good sportsmanship the two teams met in the middle of the yard to shake hands.

"Now let's head inside for hot chocolate," Clara called. "And no gloating from the winners."

"It's like she never even met us," Danny teased Angela as he dropped a snowball down the back of her coat.

* * *

**10:00 P.M.**

Danny gently tapped on the door to Steve and Catherine's room, entering at the whispered "Come in."

The sight before him brought a smile that made his eyes sparkle. Catherine was sitting against the headboard, propped on several pillows with her finger to her lips. Next to her, fast asleep, was his daughter.

Grace was holding her phone in one slack hand and was leaning partially against her Aunt.

Catherine grinned at Danny.

"Okay, Monkey," Danny touched Grace's shoulder gently. "Bed. Let's go."

Grace blinked awake slowly. "I'm not sleeping …"

"Of course not …" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Graaace …"

"But I have to finish showing Auntie Cath the rest of the pictures of the snowball fight, and I wanna send some to Mom and Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono and ..."

"Tomorrow." Danny moved to pick up the shoes Grace had removed before hopping onto the comforter next to Catherine. "They aren't going anywhere."

Just then, Steve entered from the hall carrying a thermos and mugs. He stopped short at the scene and shared a smile with Danny and Catherine. "Fun overload?"

Instead of moving to get up, Grace shifted a few inches closer to the edge of the bed, curled around a pillow and closed her eyes again.

"Danny, if she's that tired …" Steve put the thermos and mugs on the dresser, "leave her, I'll …" he nodded toward the hall indicating Grace's now empty room.

"Yeah, she can stay …" Catherine grinned at how willing Steve was to relocate and not disturb their niece. She ran a hand over Grace's hair.

"Grace?" Danny smiled at his friends.

Smiled at how Steve's concern for Grace's comfort made him absolutely willing to give up his bed.

Smiled at the tender expression on Catherine's face as she looked at his sleeping daughter.

Danny shook his head, "Monkey? C'mon, do you want to stay here? Because Uncle Steve will go in your room, but …"

"Nooo …" came Grace's sleepy reply. "I'm up." She stretched and patted around for her phone before sliding off the bed. "I'm not kicking Uncle Steve out of his bed." She grinned. "Thanks, though." She caught him in a hug. "Love you." She turned to Catherine, "You, too. 'Night, Auntie Cath. We can look at the pictures in the morning, first thing, right?"

"First thing," Catherine assured her with a grin.

"Grace?" Danny smiled.

"I know, bed." She sighed and made it to the door before turning back. "Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, Gracie?"

"Can I have some hot chocolate?"

Steve laughed. "Here you go." He took the thermos and one of the mugs off the dresser.

"Half a cup," Danny instructed. "Although I think you're so tired even the sugar won't keep you up."

Steve filled the mug half way. "Good night, Sweetheart."

Grace nodded and took a sip. "Night. And great job with the snowball fight today."

Steve bent to place a kiss on her head before she followed Danny out into the hall. "I had a great teacher."

**END CHAPTER 6**

* * *

If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games.

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	7. Smooth Ice

_See ANs in Chapter 1_

**Smooth Ice (7/12)**

**Nonna's House**

**Grace's Room**

**8:00 A.M.**

Danny opened his daughter's door before breakfast and found she was already dressed and busily texting Rachel more photos from Christmas and from the previous day's snowball battle.

He smiled to see her once again wearing a sweater very similar to the one Catherine had been wearing when she and Steve got in from Atlantic City the day before. "Get any dirty towels and clothes together, Monkey. We're gonna do some laundry."

"Laundry's all done," she announced as she put down her phone and looked at her dad. "I did it with Auntie Cath. I took yours, too." She nodded at the empty hamper in the corner of the room that he'd asked Nonna to put out for him and Grace to share.

Danny wasn't about to have his grandmother doing laundry for the two of them.

"Wow." He moved to give her a high five. "Good job!"

"Thanks, it was Auntie Cath's idea. We got up early and threw in a few loads before Nonna could try to do everybody's laundry," she grinned.

"And she absolutely would." Danny kissed Grace's head.

"It's probably dry by now," Grace guessed.

"Go see if Nonna needs help with breakfast," Danny said. "I'll go get the clothes out of the dryer."

"'kay. She's making pancakes!" Grace announced happily as she left the room before her dad and headed down the stairs.

* * *

Danny descended the stairs to the basement and walked up behind Catherine with a chuckle. "Nonna sees you doing towels and sheets you're in for a lecture." He nodded to the pile of folded clothes in front of his friend.

"Nonna always says we're family. Family pitches in," she smiled. "I left your laundry and Grace's in the basket." She tilted her chin toward the table Nonna used to sort clothes.

"Tell me you didn't fold our stuff." Danny shook his head.

"I didn't," Catherine assured him. "Grace said she wanted to do it. I just put it all in the basket."

"Wanna come by the house when we get home and work that magic?" Danny teased. "Because it's not like she doesn't do chores, but getting up early and offering to? That's all you, Auntie Catherine."

She laughed. "Yeah, well, I told her I was going to come do a few more loads and she said she'd do the same. I did sheets a couple of days ago but I wanted to help Nonna and do the towels today, too." She pulled out a set of sheets and a blanket and began to fold them.

"You did laundry already this week?" Danny asked.

Catherine nodded. "Just our sheets, before we left for Atlantic City. I knew Nonna would try to change the bedding while we were gone. I didn't want her to have to do that," she shrugged with a grin.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Of course you didn't," he smiled. "Believe me; Nonna's got you at the far end of the hall for a reason. For which I am eternally grateful and … "

He was interrupted by the sound of Steve's boots on the basement steps. "Shut up, Danny." Steve had overhead the end of the conversation and was smirking. "Cath? Need help?" He'd returned from a run he'd made to the bakery for Nonna to pick up fresh, hot bread for lunch.

"I'm finished." Catherine handed him the sheets and grabbed a laundry basket that was piled high with clothes and towels. "Go make the bed and we're done. Oh and here." She handed him corner straps for the mattress cover.

Danny exploded into laughter and Steve frowned at them.

"Those … hold the mattress cover in place so the sheets don't slide around. I guarantee Nonna put those on just for your visit."

Catherine gave Danny a teasing look. "Then maybe we need to buy some. You know, so the bedding doesn't get … untucked so easily."

Danny snorted as Steve gave him an unabashed grin. "Yeah, you do that. They sell them at 'my boyfriend is the luckiest son of a bitch on earth dot com." He slapped his best friend's shoulder as he hoisted the basket of his and Grace's laundry and headed for the stairs.

* * *

**10:00 A.M.**

**Living Room**

Catherine was sitting on the floor next to Nonna in the recliner and the two women were chatting amiably as they worked on organizing Nonna's sewing box. Grace bounced excitedly into the room carrying a flyer that had come in the day's mail.

"You know how to ice skate, right Auntie Catherine?" she asked.

"Well it's been a long time since I did it but yeah, I know how to ice skate. Why?" Catherine smiled at her niece.

Grace held up the brightly colored flier. "Floyd Arena has public skating from 1:00-5:00 today. I thought maybe if no one has any plans we could go."

Catherine looked at Nonna. "Well if there's nothing specific Nonna had in mind, I'm game."

"I've been to Floyd Arena before," Nonna smiled brightly. "They have a very comfortable seating area where guests can sit and watch the skaters. I'd love to go and watch you skate, bambina."

"YAY!" Grace gave an excited clap. "I'll go find Danno and Uncle Steve and see if they want to go."

* * *

**Floyd Arena**

**1:00 P.M**

Steve and Danny helped Nonna get settled comfortably into one of the observers' seats that surrounded the ice rink and then joined Catherine and Grace in the small changing area filled with benches and small lockers used by the skaters to store their shoes and secure their valuables.

"I'm still not sure how I let you talk me into this, Monkey," Danny grumbled good naturedly.

"Oh come on," Grace smiled. "It's gonna be fun!"

"Yeah, Danny, it's gonna be fun," Steve teased.

"Laugh it up, partner," Danny said with a mock glare. "I know there are a lot of tools in your SUPER SEAL toolbox but I somehow doubt ice skating is one of them."

"I'll bet I fall less than you do," Steve smirked. He simply could not curb his competitive streak.

"I'll take that bet," Danny said. "And no fair holding on to Catherine the whole time."

"That's no fair," Steve winked at Grace. "Holding on to Catherine the whole time is the best part."

Danny finished lacing up his rented skates and pulled his pant leg back down. "Yeah, yeah. Let's hit the ice and see what ya got."

* * *

Danny hugged the ledge that ran around the outside of the ice and tried desperately to remain upright. His ankles were hurting and his knees were throbbing from repeated falls. If he wasn't positive he would never hear the end of it from his partner he would have happily joined Nonna in the observation area.

Steve was gliding carefully across the center of the ice, moving carefully and concentrating on remaining upright while Catherine helped Grace practice pirouettes nearby. Steve grinned as he watched them spin in their similarly colored sweaters and brand new matching scarves, purchased in the gift shop at the Borgata.

"Danno! Uncle Steve! Look at me," Grace called happily as she prepared to spin once more.

Steve turned a little too quickly to watch her and threw off his center of gravity. After gamely trying to regain his balance he ended in a heap on the ice.

Catherine immediately skated to his side and held out a hand to help him up.

"Ouch," he grumbled as he took her offered hand and allowed her to help him back to his feet and steady him. He could hear laughter from the other side of the ice and as he turned to glare at Danny he saw his partner lose his balance from laughing so hard, grab futilely for the ledge, and end up in a heap on the ice himself.

"Serves you right," he called with a smile as Grace skated to Danny's side and helped him up.

"Are you ok?" Catherine asked as she slipped her arm through Steve's.

"I'll probably be a little sore later. But maybe you can give me a massage and make it feel better." He waggled his eyebrows.

"You're incorrigible," Catherine grinned.

"And you love it," Steve said as he dropped his arm around her shoulders.

"You're right," she beamed. "I do."

Steve noticed Grace flashing a thumbs up towards the observation area and turned just in time to see Nonna holding Grace's phone aloft indicating that she had indeed gotten pics of both Steve and Danny on the ice.

"I'll bet those make an album," Catherine teased.

"Probably more than one," Steve sighed.

* * *

**Nonna's House**

**8:00 P.M.**

Grace sat at the dining room table between Nonna and Catherine. Steve and Danny sat opposite them. A large box of photos and several albums were stacked in the center of the table.

Grace loved to look through Nonna's photos and see the vintage images of people she'd heard so many stories about. She also got a huge kick out of seeing Danny as a youngster, and was leaning into Catherine, giggling at a photo of her dad circa 1992.

"Look at this one!" She held it up.

Steve snatched the photo before his partner could make a grab for it.

At Steve's laugh, Catherine said, "Always stylin', weren't you, Danny?" She pointed to the overalls Danny and his friends wore in a group shot of four teenagers with their arms around each other's shoulders, squinting into the camera.

"Absolutely," Danny said proudly.

"That's some … serious hair, Danno," Steve pointed out.

Danny took the photo from Steve and studied it with a grin. "1992." He confirmed by turning the photo over and checking the hand written date. "And what, you had better hair?" he asked.

Steve answered in total seriousness, "I had a crew cut."

Catherine smiled and glanced at Danny. "You were very Zack from Saved by the Bell."

"Says the girl wearing stone wash in the photo her dad showed us," Danny teased, "And a scrunchie I might add."

Catherine smirked, "That was a VERY stylish scrunchie, and I was rocking it." She high fived a laughing Grace.

"You guys looked so ..." Grace started to say.

"Go ahead, Grace," Danny smiled, "because in twenty years you're going to look back and say 'what was I wearing in 2014?' "

"Danno …"

"I'll have you know … ," Danny pointed at the picture, "that haircut was all that and a bag of chips."

Grace looked unconvinced. "Bag of what?"

Catherine and Steve looked at each other and laughed.

Grace turned to them. "I bet Uncle Steve looked cool in ninety two."

Steve's look of pride made Catherine grin and Danny snort, "You!" He pointed at his best friend, "Have brainwashed my innocent daughter."

Steve shook his head, "No, Gracie just knows cool when she sees it." He exchanged a fist bump with the laughing girl as Nonna looked on with delight.

Grace turned to Catherine. "What was Uncle Steve wearing the first time you met him, Auntie Cath, when he wasn't wearing his uniform, I mean?"

Catherine looked Steve over, pretending to contemplate before she said, "Pretty much exactly what he's wearing now."

Danny palmed his face. "Of course he was. And you'll be wearing cargos when you're eighty, and carrying a giant knife to go play cards at the senior center."

"And I'll be the most practically dressed old guy there, won't I?" Steve didn't even try to hide his smug grin.

Everyone laughed as Grace reached for another photo. "Look at this one, Auntie Cath, isn't her dress sooo pretty?" She held up a photo of a young woman in a 1940s style dress and T-strap shoes.

"Gorgeous." Noticing the resemblance, Catherine asked Nonna, "Is this one of your sisters?"

Nonna nodded "That's my sister Teresa; you'll meet her this week. That was taken at our cousin's wedding."

Grace was passing a photo to Steve, "Look, Uncle Steve, this is my Pop-Pop! Danno's grandpa, when he was in the Army."

Steve studied the image of a uniformed soldier with a huge smile and Danny's blue eyes.

"That's my Thomas," Nonna said proudly.

"Korea, right?" Steve confirmed what Danny had told him.

"Exactly. We got married right after he was discharged. That's where Danny gets those beautiful blue eyes."

Danny leaned across the table and kissed Nonna's cheek. Catherine and Steve shared a smile when Nonna patted his hand lovingly.

The next photo Grace pulled from the pile made her laugh out loud. "Is this you?!" she asked her dad with delight.

Danny rolled his eyes and Steve guffawed. There was eight year old Danny, with his happily posing little sister. They were seated at a table having a pretend tea party. Danny looked every bit like he wanted to bolt and run.

"That's your Aunt Angie, and she STILL owes me for that," Danny pointed out.

"Aw Danny, look at you, you were always good with kids," Catherine said and honestly meant every word.

"Nice tiara, Danno." Steve snorted.

"Don't laugh so hard, Steven," Danny snarked, but his eyes laughed at the memory and his best friend's teasing. "Like you never played dress up with Mary?"

Steve ran a hand over his eyes, wiping the tears of laughter, "I used to dress Mary as a soldier ... Mary would play anything as long as she got to wear jewelry. So I was commanding a three year old in a khaki shirt and pearls," he shrugged.

Catherine laughed, "I can totally see that. Because you never change." She leaned across the table and pecked his lips lightly.

"That a problem?" He took her hand and winked.

"Wouldn't want you any other way." Her tone teased, but a light squeeze to his fingers told him her words were sincere.

Catherine released Steve's hand, pulled out a five by seven photo and her eyes lit with mirth. "Prom?"

"Prom." Danny rolled his eyes. He was wearing a tux and had his arm around a girl with hair teased at least four inches high.

"Wait, wait, is this Angela and Sal?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "Sal graduated with me. Angela was his prom date."

"Isn't that cute?" Grace interjected.

"Okay, that had to be rough." Catherine shook her head.

Steve studied the photo. "Why?"

"Because if Danny's my older brother and he's at my prom?" Catherine shuddered dramatically to make her point. "Rough."

"Correction," Danny said. "Angela was at my prom."

"So?" Steve looked at Catherine. "What's the problem? He kept an eye on her."

"Exactly," Danny agreed.

Catherine rolled her eyes, "That's the problem."

"Poor Aunt Angie!" Grace agreed, catching on to what Catherine was saying.

"Excuse me? I was being a good big brother," Danny said defensively.

"Danno! I remember you and Uncle Steve at Halloween," Grace said.

"Still don't see the problem." Steve looked at Danny who shrugged.

"And there, as I said, is the problem." Catherine slid her chair to the end of the table, closer to Steve, then leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Think of that scenario from Sal's perspective." At Steve's look, she laughed out loud. "Exactly."

Grace giggled and sorted to find another photo. "Here's my favorite!" she announced and held up a wedding photo.

"Ohhh," Catherine took it gently. "Nonna, you're beautiful," she said sincerely.

"Thank you, bella," Nonna smiled. She'd been enjoying the exchange over the photos and seeing Grace light up at the family stories. "That was 1953."

"Tell Auntie Cath about your dress," Grace prompted.

"Oh, Grace, right now?" Nonna asked. "Are you sure?"

"I'd love to hear about it." Catherine placed a hand over Nonna's.

"Okay," Nonna smiled. "That dress was a Pricilla of Boston, a bigwig wedding dress designer back in my day. It was more than I could afford. Thomas and I paid for our own wedding, you know. Our reception was at a local hall and my family made the food. Everyone did it like that back then."

She grinned as the memories flooded back. "So, my sisters chipped in a hundred dollars each to help me pay for the dress. I was the youngest and they wanted me to have a dress from a really nice store."

Catherine's eyes were sparkling. "That's a wonderful story. How sweet your sisters were that thoughtful … and generous."

"They were," Nonna agreed. "And many years later, Teresa's oldest daughter wore that very same dress. It's still in my closet."

"Isn't that the best thing, ever?" Grace sighed at the romantic notion. "Nonna said if I want to, maybe I can wear it someday," she informed Catherine.

"You absolutely can, mio bambina." Nonna was thrilled at the thought.

"In about thirty years," Danny added and Catherine saw Steve nodding seriously.

She winked at Grace, "Maybe in twenty, huh? After Danno and Uncle Steve get used to the idea."

"Then it's gonna be more like fifty." Grace sighed dramatically and got up to hug Nonna. "But thank you, Nonna, and I hope someday I look as pretty as you did."

**END CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

Look for Ilna's **BONUS **REAL World story later today! Check in with Kono and Chin back home in Hawaii.

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	8. Piling up

_See ANs in Chapter 1_

**Piling Up (8/12)**

**Nonna's House  
Guest Room  
7:15 A.M.**

Steve and Catherine woke to the sound of Grace's voice and a gentle but insistent tapping on the door of Nonna's guest room. "Uncle Steve, Auntie Cath! Are you awake? It's snowing! _A_ _lot_!" She couldn't contain her excitement.

"We're awake, Gracie, give us two minutes," Steve called as he slid out of bed and crossed to the window. "Holy sh … crap," he whispered in case Grace was listening.

"Steve?" Catherine stretched languidly and peered out from under the comforter. "What?"

"There's gotta be six more inches of snow out there." Steve gestured to the window.

Catherine was beside him in a shot. "Ohhh!" She couldn't help the delight that seeped into her voice. "I kinda miss snow at Christmas," she grinned and then added "How bad it supposed to get?" as she thought of their flight in the morning.

"Not sure. Last night they said the storm was heading east …" Steve grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them on quickly. "Gracie is all excited," he grinned. "Let's go see what's going on."

* * *

**7:25 A.M.**

Ten minutes later, Steve, Catherine, Grace and Danny joined Nonna in the kitchen and were peering out the window as the snow continued to fall in fine flakes.

"Tiny flakes mean more accumulation, right, Uncle Steve?" Grace grinned enthusiastically.

"Right, Gracie," Steve confirmed as Danny rolled his eyes.

"Really, island boy?" he asked sarcastically.

"Really," Steve smirked. "SEALs train for all weather, Danny."

Catherine and Nonna exchanged an amused look.

"Well, it seems like the storm turned back onto land. My favorite weather man, Bill Evans, said it may be a foot or more," Nonna informed them as they sat down to eat the breakfast she'd been up at 6:00 A.M. preparing.

* * *

**8:30 A.M.**

Just as Catherine and Danny finished clearing the breakfast dishes the house phone rang and Nonna picked it up and chatted amiably while Grace happily discussed snowball-snow versus non-snowball-snow with Steve.

After a few minutes Nonna ended the call with, "It'll be fine. Don't worry about a thing; my grandsons are here. They'll take care of everything."

Catherine couldn't miss the look in Steve's eyes when he nodded at Nonna's words, ready to do whatever was needed. It made him so happy, so content, to be included in Danny's family. His eyes never failed to dance when Nonna referred to him as her grandson. For the briefest moment, Catherine ached for the young boy who felt like he was always outside, looking in at other people's families.

Over Thanksgiving she'd seen the look of wonder on Mary's face that resulted from being included in her family's holiday activities. The same look she'd seen on Steve's face during the early years of their relationship when they spent time with the Rollins clan. Seeing him at home over Thanksgiving, so comfortable with her family, and watching him over the past few days blending in with the Williams' clan, pushed aside any sadness she felt for that young boy and replaced it with joy for the man he was now.

Catherine couldn't resist leaning over to tightly embrace the content man that lonely teenager never thought he'd be. Steve was growing more secure in the fact that he had family, _lots_ of family, with every passing year. And while tragedy may have brought him home, it also brought him a brother and niece who meant the world to him.

Steve settling in Hawaii led to Catherine settling there as well. And while she had no doubt they'd have settled down together somewhere, doing so in Steve's childhood home had gained her Danny, Grace and their team as family, too.

At her sudden embrace, Steve raised an eyebrow before returning the gesture with a kiss to her temple. When she silently communicated, '_It's nothing, I just wanted to_,' he slipped his arm around her and briefly squeezed her hip before releasing it and taking a sip of coffee.

Nonna speaking to Danny brought Catherine out of her thoughts. "That was Mrs. Fabrizio from next door. She's worried about getting snowed in since her son is away with his family and won't be able to come dig them out."

Danny explained to Steve and Catherine, "Her husband was our little league coach. They've lived next door since I was a kid. They're … what?" he asked Nonna, "Seventy now?"

"Just about," Nonna agreed. "I told her not to worry because you boys could shovel them out."

"No problem," Steve stood. "We should we start now, that way we get a head start on the accumulation before it's a foot deep."

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "Pop leaves a ton of ice-melt here every winter and there are shovels in the garage. I'll grab a couple."

"Three," Catherine said as she stood.

Steve grinned. Of course she had no intention of not helping. Catherine was not the kind of person to sit around when there was work to be done.

"Cath …" Danny started.

"Danny, get three shovels," Catherine repeated. "I'll go get the coats. C'mon Grace, you can throw the ice-melt, okay, Danny?"

"Okay, Danno?" Grace echoed. "Please? I wanna help."

"Alright, go put on another layer," Danny smiled, "Nonna, would you please start another pot of coffee?"

"Coffee?" Nonna scoffed. "You need hot chocolate. Grace, you'll come in and get it when I call you, okay?"

Nonna winked at Danny. She had an ulterior motive knowing Grace would warm up when she came inside on the cocoa runs.

"Got it!" Grace nodded and ran to add another sweater before she joined the adults outside.

* * *

**Fabrizio's Driveway  
10:00 A.M.**

After an hour of shoveling something caught Steve's eye and he motioned toward the street from his position halfway up the driveway. "What're they doing?"

"Who?" Danny tossed a shovel full of snow onto the mound that used to be the lawn.

"The guys with the trash cans." Steve noted the men from several neighboring houses who minutes earlier had been busy shoveling out their cars were now dragging trash cans into the street and leaving them at the curb.

"Saving their spots," Danny said as he rested his hands on the upright shovel handle and took a breather. Steve looked puzzled so Danny grinned and continued. "Parking spaces. They're saving their parking spaces. The garbage can marks their spot. If you spend an hour digging out your car only to move it and have someone take your spot, well …" Danny nodded at a couple of neighborhood teens who waved as they walked by, shovels over their shoulders, out to shovel for a few bucks. "That's cause for a whole lot of ugly," he explained.

* * *

**10:45 A.M.**

"Nonna said time for a hot chocolate break," Grace said as she made her way towards the shovelers with a thermos and several paper cups. Once she reached them she handed each a cup, and asked her father to hold hers, then carefully removed the lid of the thermos and poured some of the rich, steaming cocoa into each cup.

"Thanks," Catherine smiled as she took a sip of the warm liquid.

"I think we're making pretty good progress," Steve said as he surveyed what they'd already done.

Danny waited for Grace to replace the cap on the thermos then handed her her cocoa. He indicated the bottom part of the driveway. "You'll notice that I've been creating a spider web pattern, thus ensuring the perfect amount of exertion then rest while also making sure the driveway gets cleared in a quick and efficient manner."

"Is that so," Steve chuckled. "I've just been putting my back into it and getting the snow off the driveway."

"When it comes to snow shoveling there is no way you can claim to be more of an expert than me," Danny shook his head. "Until I moved to Hawaii I shoveled our driveway, Nonna's and more than a few neighbors every time it snowed. I know how to clear a driveway. Light, fluffy snow requires the spider web pattern."

Steve looked at the top half of the driveway, where he had been working, then at the bottom half where Danny had been and noticed they were pretty much the same amount of cleared. "If you say so," he laughed, "But I think I've been holding my own."

Danny looked at Steve's section and grumbled, "Beginner's luck."

"Well," Catherine smiled at Grace, "while the boys have been having a contest to see who could shovel faster I got the steps, the walk, and the sidewalk all cleared and ready for the Ice-Melt. So what do you say we finish up and leave your dad and Uncle Steve to their contest?"

"Sounds good to me," Grace placed the thermos along with her and Catherine's empty cups at the edge of the driveway to be collected later.

Just then the front door opened and a bundled up Carmela Fabrizio emerged carrying something wrapped in foil with a bright red bow.

"Mrs. Fabrizio," Danny fussed. "You didn't need to come outside. It's too cold."

"Nonsense," she waved him off. "I wanted to see you Daniel, and of course your angel Grace. I also wanted to meet the visitors from Hawaii I've heard so much about."

Danny smiled. "So Nonna's been talking about them, huh?" he teased.

"Just a little," the older woman laughed.

"Well then Mrs. Fabrizio, this is my friend and partner Steve McGarrett. Steve … Mrs. Fabrizio." She extended her gloved hand and Steve shook it with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"And this," Danny said as Grace and Catherine approached, "is my friend and teammate, Catherine Rollins."

"Nonna was right," Mrs. Fabrizio said as she grasped Catherine's hands, "You are absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," Catherine blushed. "You're very sweet."

"Nonna said you were a beautiful couple and she's right." Mrs. Fabrizio turned to Grace. "And this is Grace. Oh my she is growing so fast."

"Nice to see you again," Grace smiled sweetly.

"I don't want to hold you up," Mrs. Fabrizio said. "I appreciate you doing this so much but I don't want to make you stand in the cold any longer than necessary. I just wanted you to have this banana bread I made as a small token of my thanks."

"You didn't need to do that," Danny said as she handed him the package.

"I know," the woman smiled. "But I wanted to. I'm sure you're getting plenty to eat at Nonna's so you can freeze that and take it home with you if you want."

"If there's one thing I've learned on this trip," Steve grinned at her, "it's that no matter how full you think you are there's always room for a few more bites."

* * *

**Nonna's House  
Living Room  
7:00 P.M.**

"Well, it's official," Catherine said as she hung up the phone. "According to the airport information line all flights are cancelled. Nothing getting in or out."

"Until when?" Steve asked. He wasn't totally surprised by the news being as the snow hadn't stopped all day but still … Chin and Kono had been so generous in insisting he and Catherine take a few extra days he felt terrible about their return being delayed.

"It depends on the storm," Catherine shrugged. "Right now they're not giving any estimate at all of when the airport will reopen."

"And once it does they'll have to work through a backlog of flights so there's no telling how long you're stuck here for," Danny said.

Grace looked at the television that was currently showing scenes of travelers stranded in airports all over the northeast United States. "At least you're here at Nonna's and not stuck sleeping on a cold cement floor," she pointed out.

"That is a very big bright side, Gracie," Steve agreed.

"And I get to spend a little more time visiting," Nonna said happily. "I'll make a lasagna tomorrow. And a chocolate torte. If we're going to be stuck in the house we should at least eat well."

"You don't need a snow excuse to make sure everyone eats well," Danny smiled at his grandmother, "but a lasagna sounds delicious."

* * *

**8:30 P.M.**

"So as it stands now we have no idea when they're gonna reopen the airport," Steve said. He'd called Chin and Kono to break the news that they wouldn't be coming back when expected.

"_It's fine, Steve_," Chin assured him. "_It's been really slow here all week. We made an arrest this morning in the armed robbery but the guy lawyered up right away so it's out of our hands for now. Kono just finished up the paperwork on our end and she's delivering it to HPD as we speak."_

"We called the airports in the city but nothing's moving out of those either," Steve sighed.

"_Seriously, brah, it's not a problem,"_ Chin insisted. "_You guys just try to stay warm and keep us informed. Tell Catherine I'll skype her in a few hours when I get back to your place so she can talk to Cammie."_

Steve chuckled. "I'll tell her. She already texted Esther about the delay and she's available to make extra visits or cover anything you need. She even said she could spend a night or two at the house if you need her to."

"_Thanks,"_ Chin said. "_I'll touch base with her later. Everything will be fine. Enjoy your extended vacation."_

"Thanks, Chin. We will," Steve said. "I'll call you when we find out anything about the airport reopening."

"_Sounds good. Talk to you later."_

"Everything okay there?" Catherine asked.

"Fine," Steve smiled as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Chin said he'll skype you after he gets back to the house so you can talk to Cammie."

"Did you tell him Esther is available if he needs anything?" she asked.

"I did," Steve confirmed. "He said not to worry. Everything is handled."

Catherine smiled. "We really have awesome friends."

Steve nodded and smiled. "That we do."

* * *

**9:30 P.M.**

"Anything new," Danny asked as he came into the living room, freshly showered and dressed in sweats. Catherine and Steve were sitting on the couch and Grace was squeezed into the recliner beside Nonna. All four were watching the coverage of the storm on TV.

"Definitely no flights out tomorrow," Catherine said. "The storm is stalled almost directly overhead. If it stays for a while, like Nonna's favorite weatherman thinks it will," Catherine grinned at Nonna, "it could be a couple of days before flights are taking off again."

"I'm really sorry your flight isn't going to take off," Grace said, looking not at all sorry, "but if you can't leave tomorrow does that mean you'll be here for New Year's Eve?"

"I guess it does," Catherine said.

Grace turned to Nonna. "Would it be okay if we have a little party?" she asked excitedly. "Just the five of us and any other family that might stop by. I can make some homemade decorations and I'll make all the snacks, you won't have to do any work."

"It's fine with me, bella," Nonna said. "If it's okay with everyone else."

"I think it sounds like a great idea, Monkey," Danny smiled at his daughter.

"Definitely," Steve agreed.

"Sounds like fun," Catherine added.

Grace popped up out of her chair, dashed into the kitchen and returned with the notepad that usually hung on the front of the refrigerator. "We need decorations, snacks, music … Danno always lets me stay up to watch the ball drop so we can do that. We can dress up … nothing fancy … but not sweats," she grinned at her father. "I can't wait. This is gonna be so much fun!"

**END CHAPTER 8**

* * *

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	9. Grace's Party

_See the ANs in Chapter 1_

**Grace's Party (9/12)**

**December 31****st**

**Nonna's House  
Dining Room - 9:00 A.M.**

As soon as the breakfast dishes were cleared away Grace commandeered the dining room for use as party central. The table top was covered with construction paper, markers and yarn waiting to be turned into festive party decorations.

While searching Nonna's party supply tote in the basement Grace found some leftover cone-style Happy Birthday hats which she was busy transforming into Happy New Year hats with artfully applied construction paper. She also found several party kazoos and roles of crepe paper in assorted colors.

"How's it going?" Catherine asked as she entered from the kitchen.

"Good," Grace beamed. "How does this hat look?"

"Awesome," Catherine smiled, picturing both Steve and Danny in the brightly colored hats with the elastic chin straps.

"As soon as I'm done with these I'm gonna cut up some confetti," Grace said excitedly. "Nonna said it was okay. She said … " Grace started.

"That's what vacuum cleaners are for," Nonna announced as she entered the dining room.

Grace giggled with delight.

"And also," Nonna smiled as she held up a plastic Ziploc-style bag, "I found some balloons!"

"Yay!" Grace jumped from her chair and wrapped her great grandmother in a tight hug. "This is gonna be the best New Year's Eve party ever!"

* * *

**Living Room**

**2:00 P.M.**

"A little more to the left," Grace directed from her position in the door way as Danny stood on a ladder helping her drape Nonna's living room in crepe paper and handmade snowflakes.

"Here?" Danny asked as he shifted a little to the left.

"Perfect," Grace smiled.

Danny tacked the crepe paper carefully to the top of the doorframe and descended the ladder.

"It looks beautiful," Grace said dreamily.

Danny smiled affectionately at his daughter. "Yes it does, Monkey."

"We found the netting," Catherine said triumphantly as she entered the room. Nonna was sure she had some left over from making wedding favors the previous year and after twenty minutes of searching through the basement fabric stash it was finally located.

"What did you need netting for again?" Danny asked Grace.

"I'm making confetti favors," Grace said proudly. "To throw at midnight. Nonna said it was okay."

"Of course she did," Danny smiled then turned to Catherine. "Where's Steve?"

"He's helping Nonna dust the high shelves in the downstairs kitchen," Catherine said.

"Well then … if I'm not needed to help with hanging decorations anymore I think I'll head down there before I get roped into making favors," Danny chuckled.

"Will it change your mind if I tell you we found some glitter to add to the confetti?" Catherine teased.

"Not at all," Danny laughed as he folded up the ladder. "But I look forward to seeing everyone covered in it at midnight."

* * *

**Living Room**

**8:00 P.M. **

Grace set out a bowl of Chex mix and turned to her dad, "Danno?"

"Yeah, Monkey?" Danny was relaxing on the loveseat with his feet propped up on the ottoman. He was wearing a pair of black cotton pants and a white dress shirt, following Grace's "no sweats" dress-code. He decided to pass on wearing a tie.

Steve sat on the couch wearing his standard cargo pants with the blue sweater Grace and Catherine had ordered for him from LL Bean.

Aside from hanging the decorations Grace insisted on doing most of the work for what she had taken to referring to as 'her' party herself. She allowed Catherine and Nonna to be in the kitchen with her while she was preparing the snacks, and to offer advice, but she very proudly did all the actual preparation herself.

"Did you ever go to Times Square on New Year's Eve?"

Her eyes flicked to the TV where a newscaster was announcing the number of people swarming in Manhattan, in spite of the snow. Manhattan rarely had more than a few inches stick, which was rumored to be due to the heat of the subways, and the city bustled on even in the midst of the blizzard.

"Once," Danny shook his head at the memory.

"Was it fun?" she asked.

"Actually, Grace, very few people that grow up here go more than once," he said honestly. "It's really not much fun. Too many people, it's usually freezing cold, there're no public bathrooms and it takes hours to get a train or bus out of the city after midnight."

Steve winked at Grace, "Tell us how you really feel, Danny."

Danny laughed, "You, my friend, would hate it." He gestured at the TV, "Hundreds of thousands of

drunken tourists, swarming locals, and general craziness. Confined space. It's a security …"

"… nightmare," Steve finished for his partner and Danny nodded.

"But what was an example of a fun New Year's Eve?" Grace inquired, looking for any ideas of how she could make the evening enjoyable for everyone.

"The best one ever was the year you were seven months old." Danny smiled at the memory. "I refused to go out and leave you, so we stayed home and watched the ball drop with you sleeping on my chest in a New Year's Eve onesie."

Grace had expected to hear about an exciting outing or a festive party.

"Awww, thanks for staying home with me, even if I don't remember." She hugged him. "That was really the best one?"

"Really," Danny confirmed. "And every one I've spent with you since." He kissed her head.

Grace smiled, and turned to Catherine who had entered the room and was placing an ice bucket on the coffee table, "Hey, Auntie Cath?"

"What, Sweetie?" Catherine smiled then took a seat next to Steve. She was dressed in a wine colored sweater and black leggings, very similar to the outfit Grace was wearing.

"Where's the best place you and Uncle Steve ever spent New Year's Eve?"

Catherine glanced at Steve with a soft smile. Grace was at the age where she romanticized everything.

"We spent a wonderful one in Bangkok in 2009," she said.

Steve nodded, and Catherine continued, "We both had a forty-eight hour leave and Bangkok is kind of special for us so we went back there."

Grace beamed, "Ohhh that's so exotic! That was your favorite?"

"Definitely one of them," Catherine grinned as Steve dropped his arm around her shoulders, "but honestly?"

"Yeah?" Grace hung on her words.

"Last year was my favorite," Catherine nodded definitively.

"Where'd you go?" Grace asked, completely caught up in the story.

"Home," Catherine and Steve said in unison.

"Really?" Grace loved the beach house but she couldn't believe it was more fun or interesting than someplace as far away as Bangkok. "You didn't go … anywhere?"

Catherine shook her head with a smile, "Nope."

"We had dinner plans …" Steve said, smiling at the memory, "but … we didn't make it."

He smirked when Danny snorted.

Grace regarded Steve, "Oh, I'm sorry, you got a case?"

"No, actually," Catherine smiled, "we decided to stay home. It was the first year I was living at the beach

house and I just wanted to enjoy being there. It was … a great evening, actually. We cooked dinner and

spent midnight together."

"Oh, then that's good!" Grace was smiling again, liking the idea of the dinner 'date', even it if was at

home. "As long as you had fun being together."

Steve passed Grace on his way to the corner of the room where Nonna's card table was currently holding a bowl of Grace's sherbet punch. As he looked at Catherine over their niece's head, he said, "We always do, Gracie, and that's all that matters."

* * *

**8:00 P.M.**

Nonna sat in the recliner wearing a festive sweater adorned with fireworks and streamers and a red velvet skirt. She told Grace she hadn't been invited to a New Year's Eve party in many years and as such decided to dress for the occasion.

"Such a beautiful spread," she said as she looked at Grace's carefully arranged displays of snacks and beverages on both the coffee table and the card table. "You're a born hostess, bambina."

"Thanks, Nonna," Grace beamed. "And thanks for letting me use the good serving dishes to put the food on."

"My pleasure," Nonna assured her.

"Hey since you guys are going to be here tomorrow you can help with that yearly ritual known as deconstructing Nonna's Christmas tree," Danny said to Steve and Catherine. "It's a New Year's Day tradition."

"Sounds like fun," Steve said as Catherine nodded in agreement.

"Lots of handmade ornaments," Danny sighed. "Made by kids, and grandkids and great-grandkids. Every one has to be wrapped very carefully."

"Preserving memories is important," Nonna reminded Danny.

"Right down to the last piece of macaroni and the last pipe cleaner," Danny teased.

Catherine smiled as she remembered decorating their own tree with meaningful family ornaments, and how Steve made a point of asking her mother for some of Catherine's favorites so they could start their own traditions.

"Well I think your tree is gorgeous," she told Nonna. "And all the handmade ornaments make it more special. I'll be happy to help you wrap them all up safely for next year."

"Thank you, bella," Nonna grinned. "And we'll pick one special glass ornament from my collection for you to take back home with you and hang on your own tree."

"You don't have to do that," Catherine insisted.

"I want to," Nonna smiled. "Because every time you hang it on the tree you'll remember how much fun we had on this visit."

"I don't think we'll ever forget this visit," Steve smiled warmly. "But thank you."

Grace looked at Nonna's tree and the packages still remaining underneath it and turned to Steve. "What did you get Auntie Catherine for Christmas, Uncle Steve?"

Catherine smiled as she thought back to the night before they left when she and Steve exchanged their gifts to each other.

_Flashback_

_**McGarrett Rollins Residence  
December 21**__**st**__** 10:00 P.M.**_

"_I have all Cammie's meals and treats ready for while we're away," Catherine said as she entered the living room and found Steve sitting on the floor in front of the tree with a sly smile on his face. "What are you up to?"_

"_Santa must have known we're going to be in New Jersey on Christmas day so he dropped your gift off early," he teased as he pointed to a present under the tree that Catherine was positive hadn't been there earlier._

"_Is that so," she said as she moved closer. "That was very clever of him."_

"_I guess you might as well open it since he went to all that trouble," Steve smiled._

_Catherine reached behind the other presents and pulled out a box wrapped in silver paper with an elaborate blue bow. "Well look at this," she grinned. "He left one for you as well."_

"_You first," Steve said as she took a seat on the floor beside him._

_Catherine grinned as she unwrapped the present. "Santa did a very nice job wrapping this." She removed the top of the box and her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped, "Oh Steve …" Any other words were lost as Catherine was struck absolutely speechless._

_Inside the box was a gorgeous charcoal drawing of the beach house in a beautiful hand-made frame. Across the top of the picture, in flawless calligraphy, the words 'Our Home'._

_She turned to him with tear-filled eyes._

"_Happy tears?" he asked._

_She nodded vigorously as she threw her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could._

"_This is … perfect," she said in a wobbly voice._

"_I'm glad you like it," he smiled. _

_Catherine noticed the signature on the bottom of the drawing. It was a local artist whose work Catherine often admired._

"_I love it," she said. "I love you."_

"_And I love you," Steve smiled as he kissed her._

_When they pulled away Catherine indicated Steve should open his gift while she still kept a tight grip on hers, unwilling to put it down._

_Steve lifted the box to his lap. "Wow, it's kinda heavy."_

"_I hope you like it," she said nervously._

"_I'm sure I will," Steve replied as he opened the box. "Catherine …these are perfect … how did you know … "he lifted one of the four immaculately restored vintage hub caps out of the box, " … your dad," he smiled._

"_He told me when the two of you were out driving over Thanksgiving you mentioned wanting a particular kind of hub caps but you couldn't find them anywhere." She smiled softly._

"_So where did you find them," he asked as he finally held in his hands one of the accessories for the Marquis he had coveted for so long._

"_I called a couple of dealers on the mainland and they didn't have what you wanted but they were all really helpful and gave me other names to call. Eventually I ended up talking to a man who has a shop in North Carolina. No website. No advertising. Nothing. He just has a warehouse with thousands of car parts. And he happened to have them," Catherine explained. "They're the ones you wanted right?"_

"_Absolutely," Steve beamed and Catherine noted his elated reflection in the hub cap._

"_You wanna go put them on the car right now, don't you?" she laughed._

_Steve placed the hubcap box back under the tree, then gently laid Catherine's drawing on top of it. "Not right now," he growled as he grasped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head then moved to remove Catherine's shirt as well. He lowered her gently to the floor and began kissing her jawline. "Right now I have something else I'd rather do." _

* * *

**Present Day**

"I got her a drawing of the beach house to hang on the wall," Steve answered his niece.

"It's absolutely gorgeous and I can't think of a better present," Catherine assured Grace who was a little too young to understand the emotional significance of Steve's gift.

"What did you get Uncle Steve," Grace asked.

"She got me hub caps for the Marquis that I had given up hope of ever finding," Steve said. "So her gift to me was perfect as well."

Grace whispered to Nonna conspiratorially. "They pick out good gifts for each other because they're in love and Danno says they're a perfectly matched set."

"I think your father is absolutely right about that," Nonna beamed.

* * *

**11:59 P.M.**

Grace finished filling everyone's glass with apple cider as the television showed the ball in Times Square beginning its slow descent. Nonna insisted they use the good champagne flutes for the occasion and that made Grace feel very grown up.

"It's almost time," she said excitedly.

Steve, Catherine, Danny and Nonna couldn't help but be caught up in her enthusiasm.

"10 … 9 … 8 … 7 …," they all counted in unison.

"Get your confetti ready," Grace reminded them and everyone carefully removed the ribbon holding their confetti favor closed.

"4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Grace giggled exuberantly as the air was suddenly filled with glitter and confetti.

Steve pulled Catherine to him and kissed her on the lips as Grace kissed her father and wrapped him a tight hug before both she and Danno moved to hug Nonna.

"Ahem," Danny cleared his throat and Steve and Catherine pulled apart, smiling.

Grace hugged them both then they hugged Nonna and Danny in turn.

I'd like to propose a toast," Steve said as he lifted his glass. Luckily Grace had the foresight to cover each of the glasses with a coaster to keep out confetti and glitter. "To health, happiness and a million more memories made with the people we love in 2015."

"To 2015," they all said in unison.

**END CHAPTER 9**

* * *

_We wish all of our #REALMcRollers, Readers &amp; Guests a Happy, Healthy 2015! From Steve &amp; Catherine &amp; the REAL World team: Sammy, Mari &amp; Ilna_

_If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games._

_Looking for links to all the REAL World McRoll stories in one place? Check out our Tumblr page mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com._


	10. Unbreakable

_See ANs in Chapter 1. Thanks to Ilna for letting me borrow her idea for a piece of this._

**Unbreakable (10/12)**

**January 1st  
****Nonna's Guest Room  
****6:00 A.M.**

Catherine and Steve finished dressing and were just about to head downstairs, bleary-eyed but determined to let Nonna sleep in while they prepared the morning meal. After the ball dropped, the confetti settled and the New Year's toast was made they helped Grace put away food and tidy up from the 'party' so it was nearly 1:00 A.M when everyone made it to bed.

By the time Steve and Catherine finished with their private New Year's celebration it was nearly 3:00 A.M.

They had decided the night before, however, that they would make breakfast so Nonna could relax for a change. They were sure she'd be busy in the kitchen later in the day, preparing a New Year's Day meal, so they wanted to take the breakfast duties on themselves.

Just as they were about to slip out of the guest room and head downstairs their phones pinged in unison with the sound of incoming texts.

"Esther," they chuckled to each other as they looked at their screens and saw a picture of Cammie posing contentedly in a "_Happy 2015_" hat. There was also a second picture of Cammie and Esther together, both in hats, Esther blowing a noisemaker.

"It's 1:00 A.M there," Catherine smiled. "But she must still be up so I'm gonna call her real quick."

"I'll head down and start the coffee," Steve said as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Tell her I said hi."

Catherine took a seat on the edge of the bed and dialed Esther's familiar number.

"_Happy New Year!_" an excited voice said on the other end of the line.

"Happy New Year!" Catherine replied in kind.

"_I hope I didn't text too early_," Esther said. "_I didn't want to wake you up so I waited an hour past midnight. I know you and the Commander are usually up early."_

"No worries. We were up and getting dressed," Catherine assured her. "Steve says hi."

"_Tell him I said Happy New Year!"_ Esther bubbled. _"I knew you guys would be missing Cammie and wanted to make sure you saw her first thing." _

"I appreciate that," Catherine said sincerely. "Is everything okay there?

"_Everything is fine,"_ Esther said as she scratched Cammie behind the ears. _"I volunteered to stay over tonight so Chin could go out and spend some time with Leilani. I know sometimes people set off fireworks on the beach at midnight and I thought it would be best if someone was here with Cammie just in case … on account of the loud booms."_

"That was very thoughtful of you," Catherine smiled. "I was a little worried about that. How'd she do?"

"_She's a champ,"_ Esther said proudly. _"Though she was definitely happy when they were over."_

"I'm glad you could be there," Catherine said. "Steve and I both really appreciate it. I hope we didn't keep you from any plans."

Catherine and Steve were still trying to determine what kind of relationship, if any, existed between Esther and Kamekona and she never missed a chance to try subtly to get information.

"_My plans kind of fell through at the last minute so I was happy to do it,_" Esther said.

"I'm sorry to hear your plans fell through," Catherine replied sympathetically.

"_It couldn't be avoided,"_ Esther said matter-of-factly. "_There's some pretty bad flu going around the island and my friend had to cover for someone at work. So what did you guys do?" _she asked as she deftly changed the subject.

"Grace threw a party here at Nonna's," Catherine smiled broadly. "She was adorable, planned the whole thing herself, and we had a ball."

"_Sounds awesome,"_ Esther said. _"Tell her and Danny I said Happy New Year. It's 2015, I can't believe it."_

"Yeah," Catherine agreed. "Me either."

"_You know,"_ Esther said thoughtfully. _"2015 is a big deal for me."_

"Why's that?" Catherine was intrigued.

"_When I was in 5th grade, 2015 seemed so far away,"_ Esther sighed. _"And I thought for sure we'd have flying cars by then. I remember a lot of talk about flying cars."_

Catherine laughed. "Well, they've got a year to get that done for you."

"_They better get on it then,"_ Esther laughed. _"I'm gonna let you go. Cammie and I are gonna put on an old movie and fall asleep in front of the TV."_

"Kiss her for us and tell her we'll be home soon," Catherine said. She didn't have to be embarrassed to be honest with Esther about exactly how much she missed Cammie. "Tell her we're sorry for the delay."

"_I'll tell her,"_ Esther smiled. _"I'll be here all day so Skype later if you want to talk to her."_

"Thanks," Catherine said. "I will. Enjoy your movie."

She disconnected the call, looked at the pictures of Cammie one more time, then headed downstairs to help Steve with breakfast.

* * *

**Basement  
Noon**

Steve and Danny were in the basement retrieving the boxes needed to pack away the Christmas decorations while Catherine, Grace and Nonna were in the living room taking the ornaments off the tree and wrapping them.

Just as the boys were ready to head back upstairs Steve's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

"It's Mary," he smiled.

"You take it," Danny said as he picked up a stack of boxes and headed up the stairs. "I'll take these up to Nonna."

"Thanks," Steve replied. "I'll be right up."

"Take your time," Danny smiled. "Tell her I said Happy New Year," he said as he reached the top of the stairs then closed the door behind him so Steve could have some privacy.

"Hey Mary," he said as he took a seat on the stairs.

"_Hey big brother, still snowed in in Jersey?"_ she asked.

"We sure are," Steve chuckled. "It's let up some but it's still coming down."

"_Any idea when you'll be able to get back to the sunshine,"_ she teased. _"I'd imagine you've about had it with the snow."_

"Probably not today," Steve sighed. "Catherine called the airport information line earlier and they said it doesn't look good."

"_Oh well, look on the bright side,_" Mary shrugged. _"At least you've got a warm bed and I'm sure you're being fed well."_

"Very well," Steve laughed. "So how was your New Year's Eve?"

"_Quiet,"_ Mary chuckled. _"Joan and I tried to stay awake till midnight but we fell asleep on the couch watching the Frozen DVD Elizabeth and Joseph sent her for Christmas." _

Steve laughed. "I'm living the Frozen DVD."

"_Joan will be more than happy to watch the movie with you,"_ Mary said. "_Again and again and again. I don't think we've watched anything else since Christmas."_

"Make sure you bring it with you next time you visit," Steve said. "Gracie sang '_Let it Go_' for months after she saw that movie so we can all watch it together."

Mary couldn't help but smile at her brother's words. She truly never thought she'd see the day he would willingly offer to watch an animated movie.

"_Be prepared,"_ Mary warned, _"because she has the Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf dolls as well and she likes to try to act out the movie scenes with them."_

Steve laughed. "Lucky you."

"_She did the entire final sequence last night on Skype for Elizabeth."_ Mary laughed out loud at the memory. _"You could barely understand a word she was saying but she did it with gusto."_

"I'm sure Elizabeth enjoyed it," Steve said.

"_She absolutely did,"_ Mary beamed. "_You know …"_ her voice trailed off.

"What?" Steve went on immediate alert at the change in Mary's tone.

"_Elizabeth and Joseph call or skype at least three or four times a week." _Mary said quietly with a touch of something that seemed to Steve to be almost awe in her voice._ "Usually once or twice at bedtime so they can read to Joan before she goes to sleep."_

"Is that a problem?" Steve asked.

"_No, no," _Mary said adamantly_._ _"Exactly the opposite. It's … really awesome."_

"Cath's parents are great." Steve's heart warmed at the knowledge that the closeness Elizabeth and Joseph established with Mary and Joan over Thanksgiving continued after they left the island.

"_They really are,"_ Mary agreed. "_You know, along with all their other very generous Christmas gifts for me and Joan,_ _Joseph sent me a beginner's tool set and told me that if anything minor breaks around the house I can skype him and he can talk me through fixing it."_

"That's great," Steve smiled.

"_He said he's trying to help me avoid unscrupulous handymen."_

"Sounds like him," Steve nodded. "And I gotta admit I like the thought of him looking out for you."

"_And he said if there's anything big that needs done, as long as it's not a safety issue that I need to get fixed right away, he and Elizabeth will be in California in February and he can come by and fix it. How awesome is that?"_

"Really awesome," Steve agreed.

"_I just … I mean …" _Mary struggled to find the words.

"What?" Steve asked softly.

"_I forgot what it felt like to be part of a real family,_" Mary said with a slight tremble in her voice.

"It feels good doesn't it?" Steve beamed.

"_It sure does_."

"I'm really happy for you, Mary," Steve said. "For both of us."

"_I am too," _Mary nodded_. "I'll let you go. Tell Catherine I said Happy New Year. And let me know when you get back to Hawaii."_

"Will do." Steve said. "And Mary?"

"_Yeah?"_

"This is gonna be a really good year." Steve turned and headed up the stairs. "I can feel it."

* * *

**Living Room  
1:00 P.M.**

"Danno made this one," Grace said as she held up a macaroni and glue concoction that Steve and Catherine were reasonably sure was supposed to be a wreath.

"That's a real masterpiece, partner," Steve teased.

"I was in the third grade," Danny defended.

"It was apparently his Picasso period," Catherine laughed.

"It was not your finest work," Nonna agreed. "Your mother said you hurried through making it because you wanted to go outside and play with your friends. But I love it just the same."

"Thank you," Danny said as he kissed Nonna on the cheek.

"Let me see the box of glass ornaments, please," Nonna asked from her seat on the recliner. Steve, Danny, Catherine and Grace had insisted she relax and act in a solely supervisory position while they removed the lights, tinsel and ornaments from the tree and packed them away carefully.

Grace picked up the large box and carried it to her great grandmother who studied the ornaments carefully. Finally she lifted one out of the box carefully and summoned Steve and Catherine. Once they reached her side she showed them the delicate glass ball and said, "This one is the one I want to give to the two of you. I hope you'll take it back to Hawaii with you and hang it on your tree for many happy holiday seasons to come."

"Nonna," Catherine said as she looked at the beautiful red and silver ball. "That's very generous of you. But this is beautiful and it looks like it's very old. You don't have to give it to us."

"Nonsense, bella. I want you to have it," Nonna smiled. "It's a very special ornament for two very special people. It's been waiting many years for you to come along. I feel it."

Nonna's tone left no room for argument.

"Ah, they're getting the magic ornament," Danny said when he saw which decoration his grandmother was holding.

"Magic?" Steve asked.

Nonna smiled. "Not really. That's just how the family refers to it."

"Why?" Catherine asked as she touched the ornament lightly.

"This is part of a set Thomas and I bought not long after were married," Nonna explained with a soft smile. "There were twenty matching balls. We used to hang them all over the tree and the lights caught them and made the whole tree sparkle."

"It sounds beautiful," Steve said as he and Catherine knelt next to Nonna's chair.

"It was. I'm sure I have pictures somewhere," Nonna nodded. "We hung them proudly for several years. But once the children came, and then the grandchildren, and then the great grandchildren," she smiled fondly at Grace, "one by one the pieces of the set got broken. Never on purpose, of course, but over the years the number dwindled down to just this one."

"And the fact that it has survived this long is why we refer to it as magic," Danny said.

"It has been dropped, knocked off the tree, sat on and once the box of glass ornaments even fell down the basement steps and almost every ball broke," Nonna said. "But not this one. This one is … unbreakable."

"Nonna," Catherine said as tears began to slip down her cheeks, "Surely you want to keep such a special ornament."

"No, bella, I want you and Steven to have it. It represents the two of you and your love … unbreakable."

Steve wrapped his arms around an emotional Catherine. "We're honored," he said to Nonna. "And we will treasure it forever. Truly."

"I know you will, Nipote," Nonna patted his hand. "That's why I want you to have it."

"Thank you," Catherine whispered. She was so overcome with emotion no other words would come.

"My pleasure, bella." Nonna wiped a stray tear off her own cheek.

Grace leaned against Danny who put his arm across her shoulders. "I think the magic ornament will be happy with Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine don't you?"

"I definitely do," Danny smiled. "I definitely do."

.

**END CHAPTER 10**

* * *

**_We wish all our #REALMcRollers, readers and guests a happy, healthy new year, with love from the RW Team! We look forward to a wonderful 2015 with Steve &amp; Catherine._**

If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games.

Looking for links to all the REAL World McRoll stories in one place? Check out our Tumblr page mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com.


	11. Rivincita

_See ANs in Chapter 1_

**Rivincita (11/12)**

**Nonna's House  
Guest Room  
7:15 A.M.**

Steve glanced at Catherine's phone laying on the dresser as it began to vibrate with the sound of an incoming call. When he saw it was her father he picked it up. "Hi, Joseph."

"_Steve, hi,"_ Catherine's father's voice came over the line. _"How's it going there?"_

"Good," Steve answered. "I think I'm actually starting to get used to the cold and snow."

Joseph chuckled. _"Any idea when you might be able to get a flight out?"_

"They've started to let a limited number of flights take off," Steve reported. "Still, there's a big backlog to work through. Looks like we might actually get a couple of seats on Danny and Grace's flight in the morning."

"_It'll be nice if you can all fly home together."_

"Yeah," Steve smiled. "It will. Definitely a fitting end to this vacation."

"_I bet you'll be glad to get back to the sunshine though,"_ Joseph guessed.

"I'm gonna have to double my swim time every morning for a month, and add in a daily run, to work off all the food I've eaten in the last 10 days," Steve joked.

"_Maybe,"_ Joseph conceded, _"but it was worth it right?"_

"Sooo worth it," Steve laughed.

"_Is Catherine available?"_ With all the holiday travel and hustle and bustle Joseph hadn't had a chance to touch base with his daughter in a few days.

"She's in the shower," Steve replied. "She shouldn't be long. Do you want me to have her call you?"

"_When she gets a chance,"_ Joseph smiled. _"It's nothing important. I just want to say hi."_

"I'll let her know." Steve cleared his throat and continued. "Before you go … " he started then paused, unsure exactly how to continue.

"_Is something wrong?"_ Joseph asked.

"No," Steve said quickly. "I just wanted to say … I talked to Mary yesterday. She told me … and I just wanted to say … "

"_Just spit it out, Steve,"_ Joseph said affectionately.

"Thank you," Steve said gratefully. "The skype sessions, the bedtime stories, offering to talk her through small home repairs … just … thanks. I know Mary really appreciates it and so do I."

"_It's our pleasure."_ Joseph could almost feel Steve's relief at having said the words. "_We adore both Mary and Joan. We love talking to them. And we're certainly learning a lot about everything that has anything to do with Frozen."_

"I heard," Steve laughed.

"_According to Elizabeth there's a new live action Cinderella coming out in the spring_," Joseph said. "_So if we get worn out on Frozen we have that to look forward to."_

"I'll keep that in mind," Steve chuckled. "And I'll have Cath call you as soon as she gets out of the shower."

"_Thanks,"_ Joseph said then he hummed a few bars of '_Let it Go'_ before he disconnected the call.

* * *

**Dining Room  
8:30 A.M.**

Steve, Catherine, Nonna and Danny were lingering over coffee as Grace cleared away the breakfast dishes.

"Thank you, bambina," Nonna smiled.

"You're welcome," Grace said as the sound of the doorbell filled the first floor of the house. "I'll get it."

"Ask who it is before you open the door," Danny called after her.

A minute later she reentered the room with her smiling aunt and uncle. "Aunt Angela and Uncle Sal are here!"

"Sit," Angela waved off Danny and Steve as they moved to stand. "We just came to return the dishes we took leftovers home in."

"Would you like some breakfast? I can make more frittata," Nonna offered.

"Thanks, but we already ate," Angela said.

"I thought maybe you came by to give me my snowball fight props one more time before we head home tomorrow," Danny teased his sister.

"No chance," Angela scoffed. "You had a team full of ringers. We thought they'd be useless because they live in the land of sun and surf but these two," she pointed to Steve and Catherine with a smile, "turned out to be like snowball assassins."

Steve and Catherine grinned.

"No way," Danny argued. "I carried them. Steve may be able to disassemble and reassemble a Sig in like 60 seconds but he doesn't know anything about throwing a snowball."

"That's not true." Grace knew her father was only teasing but still felt the need to defend her favorite uncle. "He threw it just the way I taught him."

The room fell silent.

"What do you mean 'just the way you taught him', Monkey?" Danny asked suspiciously.

He looked at his partner who was busy looking at the table, the floor, the wall … anything to avoid meeting Danny's eyes.

Grace squared her shoulders, looked at Steve who smiled encouragingly, then turned to her father. "I gave Uncle Steve a lesson in the right way to make and throw snowballs."

"You did, huh?" Danny grinned.

"I did," Grace returned a matching grin. "When you and Auntie Cath were taking your cooking lesson."

"And how exactly did you have a snowball throwing lesson in Hawaii?" Danny asked.

"It was actually pretty awesome," Steve interjected. "We made snowballs with Grace's snow cone maker and then we set up obstacles on the beach and she watched me throw then critiqued my form."

"I knew we'd be having a snowball battle over Christmas and I just wanted to make sure it was fair," Grace explained. "Uncle Steve hasn't been around snow in a long time."

"AHA!" Angela laughed. 'A ringer. I knew it. He had a coach."

"Don't listen to them. You were very clever to think of such a thing, bambina," Nonna smiled.

Steve laughed and winked at Grace. "All's fair in the snowball battle game."

"Rivincita!" Angela playfully slapped her hand on the table.

"What's that mean?" Catherine chuckled.

"A rematch," Sal chimed in. "We demand a rematch."

"Can we," Grace looked hopefully at the adults.

"Sure, why not?" Steve said.

"No teams this time," Danny said. "Just a good old-fashioned every man for himself snowball battle."

"Excellent," Angela said happily.

Danny grabbed Grace and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'll show Uncle Steve a thing or two about throwing snowballs."

* * *

**Nonna's Yard  
10:00 A.M.**

Since the snow had mostly stopped and the sun was shining, Nonna decided that she would bundle up and serve as official referee for the rivincita. She settled herself into a lawn chair that had been retrieved from the shed and set up on the edge of the battlefield. She covered her legs with a thick wool blanket and pulled her hat low over her ears.

"You have to behave," Angela taunted Danny. "Nonna is watching."

"That's right," Danny pointed at his sister. "So no trying to slip ice into the snowballs."

"I never did that," Angela insisted innocently.

"Tell that to the scar on my forehead," Danny said doubtfully.

Alright," Nonna chuckled. She had been listening to Angela and Danny bicker for decades and the sound was like music to her ears. "Just remember we're all family here. And your behavior is setting an example for the bambina."

"Yeah, Angela," Danny called as he picked up a handful of snow and began forming it into a ball. "Don't corrupt my daughter."

Grace looked at Catherine and Steve and her eyes held a mischievous glint. Suddenly she leaned over, scooped up a handful of snow, formed it quickly into a snowball and lobbed it towards her father, intentionally landing it at his feet.

When he looked in her direction her next volley struck him in the shoulder. "GO!" she squealed.

And the battle was on.

Sal was the first to be eliminated. Grace hit him with a snowball square on the shoulder and as he staggered backwards he tripped and fell into a snow bank. Since he had arrived that morning unprepared for a snowball fight he was wearing a pair of the extra boots Nonna always kept in the hall closet and they didn't fit as well as he would have liked. His shoes immediately filled with snow and he tagged out and went to stand next to Nonna.

Ten minutes later, as Catherine moved carefully along the edge of the battle stalking Angela who was hiding behind one of the leftover snow walls from the previous battle, Steve snuck up behind her in a blitz attack and dumped an arm load of loose snow down her back.

"Ack!" she said as she turned to see him grinning wickedly.

"I owed you that from Christmas break in Annapolis your last year at the Academy," he said gleefully.

Catherine laughed. "Boy, you really know how to hold a grudge, Commander."

"Like I always say," he shrugged, "All is fair in love and snowball fights."

"You always say that, huh?" she chuckled.

"I'll help you warm up later if you want," he offered flirtily.

"I may take you up on that," she smiled as she stomped her feet in an attempt to get the rest of the snow to fall out the bottom of her coat.

As she turned and headed off to join Sal and Nonna, Steve grabbed her elbow, pulled her back to him and kissed her.

"Do we have to add no kissing to the list with no biting, spitting and hair pulling?" Angela called from her hiding spot.

"With those two you definitely do," Danny called back with a laugh.

"Go get 'em," Catherine whispered to Steve then turned and headed across the yard.

Sal high-fived her as she reached the makeshift sideline where he was standing beside Nonna's chair. "You did better your first year than any of the other in-laws," he smiled. "I think it was three years before I made it past the first snowball."

"Thanks," Catherine smiled but her mind was stuck on Sal calling her an in-law. It was one thing for Danny or Nonna to refer to her and Steve as family members, but to hear it coming so naturally from Sal really drove the point home for Catherine.

They had been accepted as part of the Williams family and it felt amazing.

Nonna knew exactly what Catherine was thinking and reached up to squeeze her hand. Catherine turned and the two women shared a knowing smile.

The moment was broken by Grace's squeals as all three of the remaining adults lobbed soft snowballs at her in a concerted attack.

"I'm out. I'm out," she shrieked as she made a mad dash for Catherine, Sal and Nonna.

Steve and Danny turned and grinned at Angela who had a sudden sense of foreboding that she was next.

"I thought this was supposed to be every man for himself," Sal said as he watched Steve and Danny work together to box Angela in.

"They can't help themselves," Catherine smiled softly. "They're partners. It's what they do."

Five minutes later Angela laughingly surrendered and joined the group on the sidelines and it was down to just Steve and Danny. For almost thirty minutes they pursued each other around the yard, taking cover behind anything available and launching attacks when they saw any opening. Both men took significant hits from the other but neither was willing to give in.

"How long will they go on like this," Angela asked Catherine.

"Till the plane takes off tomorrow," Catherine laughed and Grace nodded in agreement.

Nonna stood and clapped her gloved hands. "Alright, time to go in and make lunch. This battle is officially a draw."

Steve and Danny both stopped and turned to face Nonna. Danny began to protest but then thought better of it.

"I was taking it easy on you," he said as the two men dropped their snowballs and headed towards the house.

"Keep telling yourself that," Steve laughed.

As the group moved towards the house Grace noticed an untouched patch of snow on the slope beside the house. Because the wind generally blew in the downhill direction the drift at the bottom of the small slope was deep but on the hillside itself there was only a few inches of snow.

"Can we make snow angels, pleeeeease?" Grace asked her aunts.

Catherine smiled. "Sure, why not." She gave Steve a mock glare. "I've already got snow down my back."

"YAY!" Grace said excitedly.

"Not me," Angela laughed. "If I get down on the ground I'll never get up. These snowball battles are tougher on my back than they used to be. I'll be in charge of taking pictures."

"Ok," Grace handed Angela her phone. "Lots please."

Catherine and Grace made their way to the hillside, careful not to mar the flawless snow, then turned and gently dropped backwards to their butts. They grinned at each other and laid the rest of the way back. They straightened themselves out and began to move their arms and legs while they both giggled happily.

Nonna linked her arm through Steve's and smiled. "They truly are snow angels, aren't they?"

"They really are," Steve beamed, unable to take his eyes of Catherine's blissful smile. "They really are."

**END CHAPTER 11**

* * *

If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games.

Looking for links to all the REAL World McRoll stories in one place? Check out our Tumblr page mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com.


	12. Heading Home

_See AN's in Chapter 1_

_So the 12 Days of Christmas at Nonna's is coming to an end. Thanks to everyone for taking this ride with us and for loving Nonna as much as we do. No worries—we'll see and hear from her again very soon._

* * *

**Heading Home (12/12)**

**January 3****rd  
****Nonna's Entry Hall**

**7:00 A.M.**

"I think that's it," Steve said as he and Danny returned from carrying the last of the luggage out to the rental car. "We're ready to go."

Catherine turned to Nonna with a bright smile but somewhat teary eyes. "Thanks so much for having us, Nonna. It's been absolutely amazing."

Nonna opened her arms and Catherine sank into the older woman's warm hug. "It's been my pleasure, bella. Every minute of it."

"Thank you so much for everything. I'll treasure the cookbook forever," Catherine said sincerely. "And I can't wait to hang the ornament on the tree."

"You keep an eye on the boys and make sure they stay out of trouble," Nonna whispered in Catherine's ear.

"I'll do my best," Catherine promised.

"And you call me," Nonna said.

"I will," Catherine pulled away and looked Nonna directly in the eye. "I promise."

As Catherine stepped back Steve leaned in and hugged Nonna tightly. "Thanks for everything, Nonna. This entire trip has been amazing. I'll never forget it."

"Thank you for coming, nipote," Nonna said. She pulled back and placed her hand on Steve's cheeks, looking directly in his eyes. "There are many more memories to be made with family. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't," he smiled as Nonna leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Steve stepped back as Danny wrapped Nonna in a tight hug, thanked her for everything and promised to call as soon as they got home. After all the adults said their goodbyes Grace threw herself into Nonna's waiting arms. She promised to keep Nonna up to date on everything that was happening in Hawaii both via Skype and by sending pictures.

Nonna picked up two white paper lunch style bags off the hall table and handed one to Danny and one to Steve. "I made you a little snack for the plane."

"Of course you did," Danny chuckled.

"Thank you," Steve and Catherine said in unison.

"Now you drive safely, and have a good flight," Nonna said with a smile, "and let me know when you land safely in Hawaii."

"We will," they all assured her. And with one last long look at Nonna's welcoming home that had enveloped them in the unmistakable feeling of family for the last twelve days they turned and headed for the rental car.

* * *

**Newark Airport  
United Departure Gate  
9:05 A.M.**

Considering the number of stranded travelers still trying to get to their destinations and the volume of flights waiting to take off Steve was afraid they might face a long wait getting through security, checked in and to their gate but he was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly everything went.

"Looks like our seats aren't together again," Grace said as she looked at Catherine's boarding pass. "Are we going to take turns sitting beside each other like we did on the flight here?" she asked hopefully.

"Works for me," Steve smiled. "We can relive our snowball battle triumphs."

"The second battle was a draw," Danny reminded him.

Steve winked at Gracie. "Nonna just said that to make him feel better. I clearly won."

"If she was trying to make anyone feel better," Danny said as his arms began to wave, "it was you."

Grace and Catherine shared a smile and an eye roll as Steve and Danny's familiar bickering began to ramp up. Luckily they were saved by a voice over the loud speaker telling their flight was about to start boarding.

"I sat by Uncle Steve first on the way here, is it ok if I sit by Auntie Cath first on the way back?" Grace asked.

"I'd like that," Catherine said sincerely.

* * *

**United Flight 8753  
10:00 A.M.**

"I'm glad this flight has wifi," Grace said as she pulled out her tablet and opened up the website of the jewelry store where Danny bought her charm bracelet. "I was hoping maybe you could help me pick out my next charm."

"I'd love to," Catherine said as she leaned in to get a better view of the screen.

"I'm going to start saving my chore money to buy it," Grace said. Just as an array of charms popped up a male flight attendant stopped and asked if either of the women wanted a beverage. Catherine said she would love a cup of coffee and Grace requested an orange juice. As the young man turned to the beverage cart Grace said in a voice barely above a whisper, "I hope that flight attendant Becky from the trip here isn't working on this flight."

"Why?" Catherine asked. She hadn't heard anything about a problem on the flight over.

"She was flirting with Uncle Steve," Grace shook her head then smiled at Catherine, "But of course he was oblivious like always."

Catherine smiled softly at Grace as the flight attendant handed them their beverages. It warmed her heart that Grace was so protective of her relationship with Steve. Even though she knew she had absolutely nothing to worry about.

"Are you headed to Hawaii for vacation," the young man asked as he handed them each a napkin.

"No," Grace told him, "we live there. We were in New Jersey visiting my Nonna. It was a family vacation. Right, Auntie Cath?"

"Right," Catherine said with a broad smile. "A family vacation."

**10:10 A.M.**

"So, you survived a holiday … or actually two holidays … with the Williams clan," Danny chuckled as he and he and Steve settled in for the first leg of the flight.

"Actually, in all seriousness, it was really great," Steve said genuinely. "Thanks for letting us be part of it."

Any sarcastic comment died on Danny's lips when he saw the sincerity on Steve's face. "You don't need to thank me," he said, "Nonna invited you."

"I know," Steve said. "But you supported the idea completely. We never would have come if you hadn't."

"Why would I not have supported the idea," Danny asked with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"I don't know," Steve looked past Danny out the cabin window as he chose his next words carefully. "Maybe you needed a break. A little time away from … you know … everything. Hawaii, work … me."

Danny saw a flash of uncertainty on Steve's face that he had only seen a few times before. Something lingering from his past that refused to let him believe all the good things in his life weren't go to be yanked away with no notice.

"There are certainly lots of things in my life I need a break from," Danny said as he laid his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Carpool, pre-teen sleepovers, Step-Stan, and yes maybe even work … but I never need a break from you. You're my best friend. I like having you around."

"Really?" Steve grinned.

"Really," Danny nodded. "Even if it means I spend an inordinate amount of time in situations no sane person would ever put themselves in."

"But it's never boring right?" Steve's eyes twinkled.

"It is definitely never boring," Danny agreed. "Look Steve, we tease, we bicker, and maybe once in a while we even fight, but at the end of the day we're family. And that's never gonna change."

"Thanks," Steve smiled. "That makes me … well you know I feel the same way right."

"Yes," Danny assured him. "I do. You will always be the Robin to my Batman."

"Oh no way," Steve said adamantly. "I'm Batman. You're Robin."

"The Nightcrawler to my Wolverine," Danny continued.

"You're insane," Steve insisted. "I would totally be Wolverine."

"The Bullwinkle to my Rocky," Danny laughed.

"Now you're just making things up," Steve huffed. "I don't even know who that is."

"You need to watch more cartoons my friend," Danny laughed. He turned his head towards the window and listened to Steve continue to insist he would the lead in and superhero team up and Danny would be the sidekick.

**2:45 P.M. **

After rotating seats and spending several hours sitting beside Danny reliving memories of the last twelve days and occasionally hearing Grace's giggles from four rows back where she and Steve were busy reliving the snowball battles and no doubt cooking up some new plan for once they arrived back in Hawaii, Catherine found herself sitting next to Steve for the final leg of the trip.

Among other topics of discussion they spent a fair amount of time deciding where Catherine wanted to hang the picture of the house Steve commissioned for her as a Christmas present. One part of her wanted to hang it in their bedroom so she could see it first thing every morning and last thing every night but another part of her thought it should hang in the living room where friends could enjoy it as well.

As they weighed the pros of cons of each location something about the last twelve days and their time at Nonna's house kept tugging at Catherine.

At first she couldn't figure out what it was.

Then it dawned on her.

She knew exactly where the picture needed to hang.

In the kitchen.

The heart of the home. The place where family inevitably gathered. And the first room of their shared home Steve and Catherine had designed and created together.

When the thought finally crystallized in her mind she turned to tell Steve and saw that he had fallen asleep. His face was relaxed; closed eyes moving gently beneath his lids. He looked … _content_, Catherine thought with a smile. He appeared, happy, younger even.

She'd watched him as he slept probably a thousand times, and she always especially loved when he looked so … rested. Like his sleep was peaceful and deep, affording him a pleasant dream and not just regeneration for another battle.

He'd had that look more often in the past year. She liked to think she did, too. Catherine knew hers came with being … well … home. Wherever Steve was had felt like home for the longest time, and solidifying that in recent months made her happier than she'd ever been before.

Steve shifted slightly, his body angling toward her; seeking her presence even in sleep, and her smile grew. She touched the splash of grey at his temple before placing a gentle hand over his where it lay across his chest. When his fingers instinctively moved to clasp hers, although he gave no sign of waking up, she rested her head in the crook of his neck, closed her eyes and thought, 'home', before drifting off to sleep.

**THE END**

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_We cannot thank you enough for the incredible response to _12 Days of Nonna!_ We wish you all a happy, healthy 2015! We have lots more in store for Steve &amp; Catherine in the new year. Much love and NONNA HUGS from the REAL World, Mari, Sammy &amp; Ilna!_

* * *

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